andiron

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“
An andiron, a wash-tub, is the result of an idea that did not exist before So if, as that gentleman said, a book does consist solely of ideas, that is the best argument in the world that it is property, and should not be under any limitation at all.

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Definitions (5)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun One of a pair of metal supports used for holding up logs in a fireplace. Also called dog; also called regionally dog iron, firedog.
  2. Regional Note
    A number of words that formerly were limited to one region of the U.S. are now used throughout the country. Andiron was once Northern, contrasting with Southern dog iron and fire dog. The Southern terms remain limited to that region, but andiron is now everywhere. Other formerly Northern words that have become national include faucet, contrasting with Southern spigot; frying pan, contrasting with Midland and Upper Southern skillet; and freestone peach, contrasting with clearseed and open peach in parts of the South. Southern words that are now used nationwide include feisty and gutters. See Note at frying pan.

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English aundiren, alteration (influenced by Middle English iren, iron) of Old French andier, of Celtic origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English andiron, andyron, aundyron, aundyern, andyar (also with aspirate handern, handiron, handyron, modern English handiron, simulating hand; also landyron, after F. landier), from Middle English andyron, earlier aundiren, aundyrne, aundyre (the termination being popularly associated with Middle English iron, iren, yron, yren, yre, English iron; cf. Middle English brandiren, brondiron, brondyre, from Anglo-Saxon brand-īsen, andiron, = Dutch brandijzer, an andiron, also a branding-iron, literally ‘brand-iron’; cf. also Anglo-Saxon brand-rōd, andiron, literally ‘brand-rod’), from Old French andier, endier, later, by inclusion of the art. le, l', landier, modern F. landier, dial. andier, andain, andi, in Middle Latin with fluctuating termination anderius, anderia, andera, andrea, andeda, andedus, andegula, angedula, more commonly andena, andenus, the fluctuation showing that the word was of unknown and hence prob. either of Celtic or Teutonic origin, perhaps from Teutonic *andja-, Gothic (Moesogothic) andeis = Old High German enti, Middle High German G. ende = Anglo-Saxon ende, English end, the reason of the name being reflected in the modern popular adaptation end-iron, q. v. End is prob. connected in its origin with the conjunction and and the prefix and-, which would thus be brought into remote relation with the first syllable of andiron: see and, and-, end. But and-iron has nothing to do, etymologically, with hand or brand, or, except very remotely, if at all, with end.
 

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/ˈændaɪərn/
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