wishbone

English

Wishbone of a chicken

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti

Proto-Indo-European *wnh₁sḱétider.

Proto-Indo-European *(ó)-os

Proto-Germanic *-az

Proto-Germanic *wunskaz

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Germanic *-janą

Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną

Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan

Old English wȳsċan

Middle English wischen

English wish

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyh₂-der.

Proto-Germanic *bainaz

Proto-Germanic *bainą

Proto-West Germanic *bain

Old English bān

Middle English bon

English bone

English wishbone

From wish + bone.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wish‧bone

Noun

wishbone (plural wishbones)

1. A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.
2. (nautical) A spar in two parts, between which a sail is hoisted, the wishbone extending its clew.
3. (nautical) Any sailing vessel rigged with a wishbone.
4. (American football) A particular kind of offensive formation. See wishbone formation.

   Synonym: bone

5. (automotive) A suspension component similar in shape to a chicken wishbone.

Synonyms

• (forked bone of a bird): furcula, merrythought, wishing bone

Derived terms

• flexbone
• wishbone bush
• wishbone flower
• wishboning

Translations

bird's bone

• Armenian: յատեզ (yatez)
• Belarusian: грудная костка f (hrudnaja kóstka), вілка (be) f (vilka)
• Bulgarian: ядец m (jadec)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 叉骨 (chāgǔ), 如願骨 / 如愿骨 (rúyuàngǔ)

• Chuvash: йӗтес (jĕt̬es)
• Danish: ønskeben n
• Dutch: vorkbeen (nl) n
• Esperanto: forketo
• Finnish: toivomusluu (fi), hankaluu (fi)
• French: fourchette (fr) f, (rare) lunette (fr) f
• German: Gabelbein n
• Greek: γιάντες (el) n (giántes)
• Hmong:

  White Hmong: please add this translation if you can

• Hungarian: villacsont (hu)
• Icelandic: óskabein n, gleraugnabein n
• Italian: forcella (it) f, forchetta (it) f
• Japanese: 叉骨 (ja) (さこつ, sakotsu)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Komi:

  Komi-Zyrian: додь (doď)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: јадец m (jadec)
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: келделу (keldelu), ятас (jatas)

  Western Mari: йӓтӓс (jätäs), вӹцӓш (vÿcäš)

• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Nepali: please add this translation if you can
• Pannonian Rusyn: кобулка f (kobulka)
• Polish: widełki (pl) f pl
• Portuguese: fúrcula f, ossinho da sorte m
• Romanian: iadeș (ro) n
• Russian: ду́жка (ru) f (dúžka), ви́лочка (ru) f (víločka)
• Scots: fortuin bane, thochtbane
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јадац m, ломилица f

  Latin: jadac (sh) m, lomilica (sh) f

• Spanish: espoleta f
• Swedish: gaffelben (sv) n, önskeben n
• Tatar: ядәч (tt) (yädäç)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: اوچرجاق (uçurcak)

• Udmurt: эчешонлы (ećešonly), ӟатаслы (dźatasly)
• Ukrainian: ви́лочка f (výločka)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: asgwrn tynnu m
• Zhuang: please add this translation if you can

spar

• Finnish: haarukkavipu
• French: wishbone (fr) m

Verb

wishbone (third-person singular simple present wishbones, present participle wishboning, simple past and past participle wishboned)

1. (transitive) To form into a wishbone-like shape; to fork.

French

Noun

wishbone m (plural wishbones)

1. (nautical) wishbone