Etymology Dictionary

ANDIRON,  a kitchen fire-dog.  (F.)   The M.E. forms are numerous, as anderne, aunderne, aundirne, aundire, awndyern, &c.   In the Prompt. Parv. p. 19, we have 'Awnderne, awndyryn, awndyrn, andena, ipoporgium.'   In Wright's Vocabularies, p. 171, we have 'Aundyrnes, les chenes;' and at p. 176, 'A aundyre, andena.'   [It is clear that the ending -iron is a corruption, upon English soil, in order to give the word some sort of sense in English; such corruptions are not uncommon.]   The form aundyre comes very near to the original French.—O.F. andier (mod. F. landier, i.e. l’andier, the article being prefixed as in lierre, ivy, from Lat. hedera), a fire-dog.   ¶ The remoter origin is obscure; but it may be noted that the Low Lat. forms are numerous, viz. andasium, a fire-dog, prop for supporting the logs, and, with the same sense, andedus, andena (quoted above in the extract from the Prompt. Parv.), anderia, anderius.   The F. form corresponds with the two last of these.   The form andasium closely corresponds with Span. andas, a frame or bier on which to carry a person; cf. Portuguese andas, 'a bier, or rather, the two poles belonging to it,' Vieyra; also Port. andor, 'a bier to carry images in a procession, a sort of sedan;' id.   The various forms so persistently retain the stem and- as to point to the Span. and Port. andar, Ital. andare, O.F. aner, to go, walk, step, move, be carried about, as the source.   See Alley.   2. No certain origin of this word has been given.   We may, however, easily see that the E. iron formed, originally, no part of it.   We can tell, at the same time, how it came to be added, viz. by confusion with the A.S. brand-ísen, lit. a 'brand-iron,' which had the same meaning, and became, at a later time, not only brondiron but brondyre.   The confusion was inevitable, owing to the similarity of form and identity of use.   See references in Koch, Eng. Gram. iii. 161; but he fails to give a full account of the word. [†]

ADDENDA

At p. 197 of Wright's Vocab. we find Hec andena, Anglice awndyren; where awndyren is a later form than aundyre.  See also Catholicon Anglicum, p. 16, note 1.