source: By Ootgoat1815 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

1. a heavy object attached to a rope or chain and used to moor a vessel to the sea bottom, typically one having a metal shank with a ring at one end for the rope and a pair of curved and/or barbed flukes at the other.

錨（いかり）

a person or thing that provides stability or confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation:

頼りとなる物［人］, 安定させる物［人］; 固定する物

e.g. the European Community is the economic anchor of the New Europe.

(in full anchor store) a store, e.g., a department store, that is the principal tenant of a mall or a shopping center.

〘商〙 アンカー店(anchor store)〘ショッピングセンターなどの中核的店舗〙

2. chiefly North American an anchorman or anchorwoman, especially in broadcasting or athletics:

｟主に米｠ 【報道番組の】ニュースキャスター, アンカー(anchorperson) «for»; 最終走者［泳者］, アンカー; (綱引きの)最後尾の人

e.g. he signed off after nineteen years as CBS news anchor.

verb with object

1. moor (a ship) to the sea bottom with an anchor:

〈船〉を錨で留める; …を支える.

e.g. the ship was anchored in the lee of the island

«…に» 錨をおろす; 停泊する; 根をおろす «in» .

e.g. no object, with adverbial of place : we anchored in the harbor.

secure firmly in position:

〖通例be ～ed〗 «…に» 〈物が〉しっかり固定される «to, in» ; «…と» 強く結びついている

e.g. the tail is used as a hook with which the fish anchors itself to coral

e.g. with cords and pitons they anchored him to the rock

«…に» 根をおろしている «in, to»

e.g. figurative : the first baseman is anchored to the bag.

provide with a firm basis or foundation:

e.g. it is important that policy be anchored to some acceptable theoretical basis.

2. chiefly North American act as an anchor for (a television program or sporting event):

｟米｠ 〈報道番組〉のニュースキャスターを務める;〘スポーツ〙 …の最終走者［泳者］を務める

e.g. she anchored a television documentary series in the early 1980s.

(of a ship) moored by means of an anchor.

(of a ship) let down the anchor and moor.

(of a ship) take up the anchor when ready to depart.

Old English ancor, ancra, via Latin from Greek ankura; reinforced in Middle English by Old French ancre. The current form is from anchora, an erroneous Latin spelling. The verb (from Old French ancrer) dates from Middle English.