Webster's Unabridged Dictionary

by Various

5. (Arch.) (a) A metal tie holding adjoining parts of a building together. (b) Carved work, somewhat resembling an anchor or arrowhead; — a part of the ornaments of certain moldings. It is seen in the echinus, or egg-and-anchor (called also egg-and-dart, egg-and-tongue) ornament.

6. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the anchor-shaped spicules of certain sponges; also, one of the calcareous spinules of certain Holothurians, as in species of Synapta. Anchor ice. See under Ice. — Anchor ring. (Math.) Same as Annulus, 2 (b). — Anchor stock (Naut.), the crossbar at the top of the shank at right angles to the arms. — The anchor comes home, when it drags over the bottom as the ship drifts. — Foul anchor, the anchor when it hooks, or is entangled with, another anchor, or with a cable or wreck, or when the slack cable entangled. — The anchor is acockbill, when it is suspended perpendicularly from the cathead, ready to be let go. — The anchor is apeak, when the cable is drawn in do tight as to bring to ship directly over it. — The anchor is atrip, or aweigh, when it is lifted out of the ground. — The anchor is awash, when it is hove up to the surface of the water. — At anchor, anchored. — To back an anchor, to increase the holding power by laying down a small anchor ahead of that by which the ship rides, with the cable fastened to the crown of the latter to prevent its coming home. — To cast anchor, to drop or let go an anchor to keep a ship at rest. — To cat the anchor, to hoist the anchor to the cathead and pass the ring-stopper. — To fish the anchor, to hoist the flukes to their resting place (called the bill-boards), and pass the shank painter. — To weigh anchor, to heave or raise the anchor so as to sail away.

ANCHOR
An"chor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Anchored; p. pr. & vb. n. Anchoring.]
Etym: [Cf. F. ancrer.]

1. To place at anchor; to secure by an anchor; as, to anchor a ship.

2. To fix or fasten; to fix in a stable condition; as, to anchor the cables of a suspension bridge. Till that my nails were anchored in thine eyes. Shak.

ANCHOR
An"chor, v. i.

1. To cast anchor; to come to anchor; as, our ship (or the captain) anchored in the stream.

2. To stop; to fix or rest. My invention . . . anchors on Isabel. Shak.

ANCHOR
An"chor, n. Etym: [OE. anker, ancre, AS. ancra, fr. L. anachoreta.
See Anchoret.]