trivet

noun

Etymology: PIE word *tréyes From Middle English trevet, from Old English trefet, borrowed from Latin tripēs, tripedis (“tripod”).

1. A stand with three short legs, especially for cooking over a fire.

   “They collected wood and built back the fire and they fetched rocks to make a trivet and there they set the bucket to boil.”

2. A stand, sometimes with short, stumpy feet, or a mat used to support hot dishes and protect a table; a coaster.
3. A weaver's knife used to cut out the wire that was used to form a pile.