trivet

/ˈtrɪvɪt/

/ˈtrɪvɪt/

Other forms: trivets

A small plate or stand that you put a hot serving dish on is called a trivet. Your famous chicken noodle casserole might need to rest on a trivet so you don't burn your kitchen table.

Anything placed on a table to protect it from a hot pan can be called a trivet. If you forget to use a trivet under a pot of chili, your table might end up with a big scorch mark. The original meaning of trivet was "three-legged stand," especially one used under a cooking pot in a wood stove or over an open fire. It probably comes from the Latin word tripedem, "three-footed," from tri, "three," and pes, "foot."

Definitions of trivet

1. noun

   a stand, often with short feet, used under a hot dish on a table
   type of:

   base, pedestal, stand

   a support or foundation
2. noun

   a three-legged metal stand for supporting a cooking vessel in a hearth
   type of:

   base, pedestal, stand

   a support or foundation