Trivet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A three- or four-legged stand placed under a hot cooking vessel to protect a surface ; a flat metal plate or mat placed beneath something hot to prevent burning or scorching
2. A framework with short legs that supports a heated pot or pan above a table ; a heat-resistant sheet or device laid under a hot object to shield the surface beneath
3. A legged support that holds a hot cooking pot away from furniture ; a protective plate or mat positioned under a heated item to avoid damage

Etymology: A trivet is, at heart, a three-legged stand, and its name is simply the Latin for "three feet." The Latin "tripēs" (genitive "tripedis") was a compound of "tri-" ("three") and "pēs" ("foot"), and it meant a tripod. Old English borrowed it as "trefet," which then shifted in Middle English to "trevet," the form that gave us the modern word. The surprising part is how far the word has drifted from its tripod origins. The three legs were the defining feature, so the name stuck to any small stand meant to hold a hot pot or kettle above a fire or on a table, even when the legs were gone and the stand was a flat metal plate. Today's trivets are usually flat, which makes the name a nice example of a word that outlived the shape it described.

Synonyms: stand, rack, rest