Anchor
/ˈæŋ.kər/noun
A heavy object used to hold a vessel in place by gripping the seabed.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek ankýra, and the same ancient root also gave us words tied to hooks and bending, turning a ship’s lifeline into a word of capture and restraint.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ank-
“to bend, curve, or hook”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ankýra (ἄγκυρα)
“an anchor; something hooked or curved”
Late Latin
Latin
ancora
“an anchor”
Old English
English
ancor
“an anchor”
Modern English
English
anchor
“a device used to keep a ship from drifting”