What is "anvil"

Anvil \An"vil\, n. [OE. anvelt, anfelt, anefelt, AS. anfilt, onfilt; of uncertain origin; cf. OHG. anafalz, D. aanbeld.]

1. An iron block, usually with a steel face, upon which metals are hammered and shaped.

2. Anything resembling an anvil in shape or use. Specifically (Anat.), the incus. See Incus.

   To be on the anvil, to be in a state of discussion, formation, or preparation, as when a scheme or measure is forming, but not matured.
   --Swift.

Anvil \An"vil\, v. t. To form or shape on an anvil; to hammer out; as, anviled armor.
--Beau. & Fl.

Old English anfilt, a Proto-Germanic compound (cognates: Middle Dutch anvilt, Old High German anafalz, Dutch aanbeeld, Danish ambolt "anvil") from *ana- "on" + *filtan "hit" (see felt (n.)). The ear bone so called from 1680s. Anvil Chorus is based on the "Gypsy Song" that opens Act II of Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore," first performed in Teatro Apollo, Rome, Jan. 19, 1853.

n. 1 A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped. 2 (context skeleton English) An incus bone in the inner ear.

1. n. a heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering

2. the ossicle between the malleus and the stapes [syn: incus]

An anvil is a block with a hard surface on which another object is struck. The block is as massive as is practical, because the higher the inertia of the anvil, the more efficiently it causes the energy of the striking tool to be transferred to the work piece. On a quality anvil the smith's hammer should rebound with almost as much energy as the smith put into the downward stroke, making the smith's job easier. In most cases the anvil is used as a forging tool. Before the advent of modern welding technology, it was a primary tool of metal workers.

The great majority of modern anvils are made of cast or forged steel that has been heat treated. Inexpensive anvils have been made of cast iron and low quality steel, but are considered unsuitable for serious use as they deform and lack rebound when struck.

Because anvils are very ancient tools and were at one time very commonplace, they have acquired symbolic meaning beyond their use as utilitarian objects.

An anvil is a tool used by metalworkers such as blacksmiths.

Anvil may also refer to:

• Anvil (band), a heavy metal band
  • Anvil! The Story of Anvil, a 2008 documentary about the band
• Anvil (bone), a bone in the ear
• Anvil (insecticide), used against mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus
• Anvil (pesticide), used against fleas and ticks
• Anvil (game engine), a video game engine
• Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, a wrestler
• Christopher Anvil (1925–2009), pseudonym of writer Harry C. Crosby
• Anvil, Michigan, an unincorporated community, United States
• Anvil, Ohio, an unincorporated community, United States
• Anvil, Oklahoma, a ghost town, United States
• Anvil Mining, a copper producer
• Anvil Island, British Columbia, Canada
• Anvil Knitwear, a century-old brand acquired by Gildan Activewear in 2012
• Anvil the Rhino, an Ace Lightning character
• Anvil City, a former name of Nome, Alaska
• Anvil cloud or anvil dome, part of many cumulonimbus clouds
• Anvil, part of the military tactic hammer and anvil
• Part of a stapler

Anvil (development project name Scimitar before 2006) is a game engine created in 2007 by Ubisoft Montreal video game developers for use on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

Anvil are a Canadian heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 1978. The band consists of Steve "Lips" Kudlow (vocals, guitar), Robb Reiner (drums) and Chris Robertson (bass). To date, the band has released sixteen studio albums, and has been cited as having influenced many notable heavy metal groups, including Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax and Metallica.

The band, in particular Kudlow and Reiner, was the subject of the 2008 documentary film, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by the screenwriter and former Anvil roadie, Sacha Gervasi. Upon its release, the film garnered critical acclaim from many major publications, and has since brought the band renewed recognition, including opening slots with AC/DC and Saxon. Appearances at both major heavy metal festivals, including Download, Loud Park and Hellfest, and independent music festivals like Bumbershoot and SXSW, also followed the release of the film. Reviewers described Anvil as a pioneering hair metal band that was popular in the 1980s but then faded into obscurity in the 1990s, while refusing to stop playing, recording and gigging. Anvil's antics on and off stage, the setbacks they suffered, and their determination to keep going was compared to the fictional band Spinal Tap.

Anvil is an insecticide widely employed to combat West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne disease identified in approximately 10,000 residents of the United States from 1999-2006. It is sprayed in Chicago and many other cities. Sumithrin, a synthetic pyrethroid, is the main active ingredient.

Anvil is applied aerially via fixed-wing and rotary aircraft or via ground applications (truck/ ATV/backpack) using ultra-low volume (ULV) sprayers. According to the Anvil Technical Bulletin published in January 2006, these sprayers create a fine mist of drops that average 17 micrometres in size. A very small amount of active ingredient is used; about of active ingredient is used to treat (4.2 kg/km²).

The active ingredients in Anvil break down quickly in sunlight and do not bioaccumulate. There are no reentry precautions for Anvil.

Anvil has been tested in 43 field trials in the United States against 30 mosquito species.