Hammer May Once Have Meant Stone
A hammer is a tool for striking. Its Germanic root may mean stone, from the days when hammers were made of it.
A hammer is a tool with a heavy head for striking. Linguists connect the Germanic word to a root meaning stone, preserved in Slavic words for rock — a memory of an age when hammer heads were stone rather than metal. The name outlasted the material by several thousand years.
- A striking tool. *A claw hammer.*
- To strike repeatedly. *Hammer the nail.*
- A bone in the ear. *The hammer, anvil and stirrup.*
- Under the hammer — being auctioned. *The estate went under the hammer.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hammer | A heavy hammer. |
| Plural | hammers | A set of hammers. |
| Verb | hammer | Hammer it flat. |
| Noun | hammering | A hammering noise. |
| Related | malleus | The malleus bone. |
How it is used in a sentence
- It went under the hammer.Sold at auction.
- Hammer and tongs.With great energy, from blacksmithing.
- The ear contains a hammer, anvil and stirrup.Malleus, incus and stapes.
Hammer expressions
- Under the hammer — being auctioned
- Hammer and tongs — vigorously, from the forge
- Hammer home — to make a point forcefully
- Hammer blow — a severe setback
- Hammer and sickle — the Soviet emblem of industry and agriculture
From Old English *hamor*, of Germanic origin, possibly from a root meaning stone — compare Russian *kamen*, a stone.
Why is an ear bone called a hammer?
Because of its shape. The three smallest bones in the body are named hammer, anvil and stirrup for their appearance.
Where does *under the hammer* come from?
From the auctioneer's gavel, struck to confirm a sale.