[triv-it] 
| 1. | a small metal plate with short legs, esp. one put under a hot platter or dish to protect a table. |
| 2. | a three-footed or three-legged stand or support, esp. one of iron placed over a fire to support cooking vessels or the like. |
[triv-it] | a special knife for cutting pile loops, as of velvet or carpets. |
| triv·et (trĭv'ĭt) n.
[Middle English trevet, stand for cooking vessels, from Old English trefet, probably alteration (influenced by Old English thrifēte, three-footed) of Latin tripēs, triped- : tri-, tri- + pēs, foot; see ped- in Indo-European roots.] |
trivet
stand or support for utensils before or on the fire. Usually made of wrought iron, the most common variety, from the 17th century, stands on three legs and has a circular plate with perforated decoration, often in the form of a date. Another early type, short-legged, stood in the fire to support a cast-iron pot. Later, in the second half of the 18th century, trivets designed to be hung from fire bars were made. These were of two types: an oblong, standing trivet with a handle at one end and projections to fit over the fire bars at the other, and a plate that could be attached to the fire bar. Some of the latter were hung inside the grate supporting a vessel over the fire
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