What it means
انبردست (anbordast) is the standard Persian word for pliers, the hinged gripping tool used to hold, bend, cut, and pull wire, nails, and small objects. The word is a Persian compound: انبر (anbar) means tongs, itself an old Iranian word tracing back to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning sharp or pointed, and دست (dast) means hand. The compound literally evokes “hand tongs.” A closely related word is انبر (anbar) alone, which refers to fire tongs or coal tongs used in traditional braziers, making انبردست the more specific, smaller, hand-held version of that gripping concept.
How to use it
- انبردست رو بیار، باید این سیم رو ببرم. (anbordast ro biâr, bâyad in sim ro bebbaram.) “Bring the pliers, I need to cut this wire.”
- با انبردست میخ رو از دیوار کشیدم بیرون. (bâ anbordast mikh ro az divâr keshidam birun.) “I pulled the nail out of the wall with the pliers.”
- انبردست تو کشوی کارگاهه. (anbordast tu keshoo-ye kârgâhe.) “The pliers are in the workshop drawer.”
- سر سیم رو با انبردست خم کن. (sar-e sim ro bâ anbordast kham kon.) “Bend the end of the wire with the pliers.”
Cultural note
انبردست is a workhorse tool in Iranian homes and workshops. In traditional metalworking and carpentry trades, distinguishing between انبر (the large hearth tongs) and انبردست (the smaller hand pliers) was practically important. Today the word appears often in hardware store conversations and DIY contexts. Iranian vocational training programs, which have a strong tradition going back to the technical schools of the mid-twentieth century, list انبردست as a core tool in basic electricity and plumbing curricula.