fork

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Derived terms 1.3.2 Related terms 1.3.3 Translations 1.4 Verb 1.4.1 Translations 1.5 See also 2 Danish 2.1 Etymology 2.2 Pronunciation 2.3 Noun 2.3.1 Inflection 3 Dutch 3.1 Pronunciation 3.2 Noun

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Old English forca m., force f., from Latin furca (“‘pitchfork; yoke’”). Later reinforced under influence of Old Northern French forque ( = Old French forche > French fourche), from the Latin.

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /foʊɹk/, /fɔːɹk/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

  Rhymes: -ɔː(r)k

[edit] Noun

fork (plural forks)

1. A pronged tool having a long straight handle, used for digging, lifting, throwing etc.
2. (obsolete) A gallows.
3. A utensil with spikes used to put solid food into the mouth, or to hold food down while cutting.
4. A tuning fork.
5. An intersection in a road or path where one road is split into two.
6. A point where a waterway, such as a river, splits and goes two (or more) different directions (see image).
7. (chess) The simultaneous attack of two adversary pieces with one single attacking piece (especially a knight).
8. (computer science) A splitting-up of an existing process into itself and a child process executing parts of the same program.
9. (computer science) An event where development of some free software or open-source software is split into two or more separate projects.
10. (British) Crotch.

[edit] Derived terms

• chork
• pitchfork
• tuning fork
• fork in the road

[edit] Related terms

• denture
• trident, a three-pronged spear somewhat resembling a pitchfork

[edit] Translations

[edit] Verb

to fork (third-person singular simple present forks, present participle forking, simple past and past participle forked)

1. To use a fork to move food to the mouth.
2. (computer science) To spawn a new child process in some sense duplicating the existing process.
3. (computer science) To split a (software) project into several projects.
4. (British) To kick someone in the crotch.

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• fork out
• fork over

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[edit] Danish

[edit] Etymology

From Old Norse forkr (“‘boathook’”), from Latin furca (“‘fork, pitchfork’”).

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɔrk/, [fɒːɡ̊]

[edit] Noun

fork c. (singular definite forken, plural indefinite forke)

1. (two-pronged) fork, pitchfork

[edit] Inflection

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[edit] Dutch

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɔrk/

[edit] Noun

fork f. (plural forken, diminutive forkje)

1. (computer science) A fork, splitting-up of an existing process into itself and a child process executing parts of the same program.