fork

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

[edit] English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia en

Pronged eating utensil — a fork

[edit] Etymology

From Middle English forke (“digging fork”), from Old English force, forca (“forked instrument used to torture”), from Proto-Germanic *furkōn, *furkô (“fork”), from Latin furca (“pitchfork, forked stake", also "gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke”), of uncertain origin. The Middle English word was later reinforced by Old Northern French forque (= Old French forche whence French fourche), from the Latin. Cognate also with Dutch vork (“fork”), Danish fork (“fork”), German Forke (“pitchfork”). Displaced native gafol, ġeafel, ġeafle (“fork”), from Old English.

In its primary sense of "fork", Latin furca appears to be derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerk(ʷ)-, *ǵʰerg(ʷ)- (“fork”), although the development of the -c- is difficult to explain. In other senses this derivation is unlikely. For these, perhaps it is connected to Proto-Germanic *furkaz, *firkalaz (“stake, stick, pole, post”), from Proto-Indo-European *perg- (“pole, post”). If so, this would relate the word to Old English forclas (“bolt”) (plural), Old Saxon fercal (“lock, bolt, bar”), Old Norse forkr (“pole, staff, stick”), Norwegian fork (“stick, bat”), Swedish fork (“pole”).

[edit] Pronunciation

[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.
    • When you come to a fork in the road, take it - Yogi Berra
  6. A point where a waterway, such as a river, splits and goes two (or more) different directions.
  7. (figuratively) A point in time where one has to make a decision between two life paths.
  8. (chess) The simultaneous attack of two adversary pieces with one single attacking piece (especially a knight).
  9. (computer science) A splitting-up of an existing process into itself and a child process executing parts of the same program.
  10. (computer science) An event where development of some free software or open-source software is split into two or more separate projects.
  11. (UK) Crotch.
  12. (colloquial) A forklift.
    • Are you qualified to drive a fork?
  13. The individual blades of a forklift.
  14. In a bicycle, the portion holding the front wheel, allowing the rider to steer and balance.

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Related terms

[edit] Translations

eating utensil with spikes
tool with spikes used for digging
intersection in a road or path where one road is split into two
point where a waterway, such as a river, splits
chess: simultaneous attack of two adversary pieces
computer science: splitting of a process
computer science: splitting of a project
UK: crotch
bicycle fork
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

[edit] Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To move with a fork (as hay or food).
  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. (UK) To kick someone in the crotch.

[edit] Derived terms

[edit] Translations

use a fork to move food to mouth
computer science: spawn a new child process
computer science: split a software project
UK: kick someone in the crotch

[edit] See also

[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

    Inflection of fork
common gender Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative, dative and accusative fork forken forke forkene
genitive forks forkens forkes forkenes

[edit] Dutch

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Noun

fork f. (plural forks, 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.

[edit] Anagrams

Retrieved from "http://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=fork&oldid=15822716"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Views
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox
In other languages