Brewer's: Andirons

or Hand-irons a corruption of anderia, andera, andela, or andena. Ducange says, “Andena est ferrum, quo appodiantur ligna in foco, ut melius luceant, et melius comburantur.” Farther on he gives anderia, anderius, andellus, etc., as variants. Called “dogs” because they were often made in the resemblance of dogs. The derivation of anderons is not clear; Ducange says, “dicitur andena, quasi ante vaporem,” i.e. calorem, but this probably will satisfy no one. The modern French word is landier, old French andier, Low Latin andæus.

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