Adjacent Words

Fork definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FORK, n. [L. furca.]
1. an instrument consisting of a handle, and a blade of metal, divided into two or more points or prongs, used for lifting or pitching any thing; as a tablefork for feeding; a pitchfork; a dungfork, etc. forks are also made of ivory, wood or other material.
2. A point; as a thunderbolt with three forks. Shakespeare uses it for the point of an arrow.
3. Forks, in the plural, the point where a road parts into two; and the point where a river divides, or rather where two rivers meet and unite in one stream. Each branch is called a fork.
FORK, v.i.
1. To shoot into blades, as corn.
2. to divide into two; as, a road forks.
FORK, v.t.
1. to raise or pitch with a fork, as hay.
2. To dig and break ground with a fork.
3. To make sharp; to point.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: cutlery used for serving and eating food
2: the act of branching out or dividing into branches [syn: branching, ramification, fork, forking]
3: the region of the angle formed by the junction of two branches; "they took the south fork"; "he climbed into the crotch of a tree" [syn: fork, crotch]
4: an agricultural tool used for lifting or digging; has a handle and metal prongs
5: the angle formed by the inner sides of the legs where they join the human trunk [syn: crotch, fork] v
1: lift with a pitchfork; "pitchfork hay" [syn: pitchfork, fork]
2: place under attack with one's own pieces, of two enemy pieces
3: divide into two or more branches so as to form a fork; "The road forks" [syn: branch, ramify, fork, furcate, separate]
4: shape like a fork; "She forked her fingers"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English forke, from Old English & Anglo-French; Old English forca & Anglo-French furke, from Latin furca Date: before 12th century 1. an implement with two or more prongs used especially for taking up (as in eating), pitching, or digging 2. a forked part, tool, or piece of equipment 3. a. a division into branches or the place where something divides into branches b. confluence 4. one of the branches into which something forks 5. an attack by one chess piece (as a knight) on two pieces simultaneously • forkful noun II. verb Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. to divide into two or more branches <where the road forks> 2. a. to use or work with a fork b. to turn into a fork transitive verb 1. to give the form of a fork to <forking her fingers> 2. to attack (two chessmen) simultaneously 3. to raise, pitch, dig, or work with a fork <fork hay> 4. pay, contribute — used with over, out, or up <had to fork over $5000> • forker noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 an instrument with two or more prongs used in eating or cooking. 2 a similar much larger instrument used for digging, lifting, etc. 3 any pronged device or component (tuning-fork). 4 a forked support for a bicycle wheel. 5 a a divergence of anything, e.g. a stick or road, or US a river, into two parts. b the place where this occurs. c either of the two parts (take the left fork). 6 a flash of forked lightning. 7 Chess a simultaneous attack on two pieces by one. --v. 1 intr. form a fork or branch by separating into two parts. 2 intr. take one or other road etc. at a fork (fork left for Banbury). 3 tr. dig or lift etc. with a fork. 4 tr. Chess attack (two pieces) simultaneously with one. Phrases and idioms: fork-lift truck a vehicle with a horizontal fork in front for lifting and carrying loads. fork lunch (or supper etc.) a light meal eaten with a fork at a buffet etc. fork out (or up) sl. hand over or pay, usu. reluctantly. Etymology: OE forca, force f. L furca

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bracket Brack"et, n. (Gunnery) A figure determined by firing a projectile beyond a target and another short of it, as a basis for ascertaining the proper elevation of the piece; -- only used in the phrase, to establish a bracket. After the bracket is established shots are fired with intermediate elevations until the exact range is obtained. In the United States navy it is called fork.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fork Fork, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Forked; p. pr. & vb. n. Forking.] 1. To shoot into blades, as corn. The corn beginneth to fork. --Mortimer. 2. To divide into two or more branches; as, a road, a tree, or a stream forks.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fork Fork, v. t. To raise, or pitch with a fork, as hay; to dig or turn over with a fork, as the soil. Forking the sheaves on the high-laden cart. --Prof. Wilson. To fork over or out, to hand or pay over, as money. [Slang] --G. Eliot.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fork Fork (f[^o]rj), n. [AS. forc, fr. L. furca. Cf. Fourch['e], Furcate.] 1. An instrument consisting of a handle with a shank terminating in two or more prongs or tines, which are usually of metal, parallel and slightly curved; -- used from piercing, holding, taking up, or pitching anything. 2. Anything furcate or like a fork in shape, or furcate at the extremity; as, a tuning fork. 3. One of the parts into which anything is furcated or divided; a prong; a branch of a stream, a road, etc.; a barbed point, as of an arrow. Let it fall . . . though the fork invade The region of my heart. --Shak. A thunderbolt with three forks. --Addison. 4. The place where a division or a union occurs; the angle or opening between two branches or limbs; as, the fork of a river, a tree, or a road. 5. The gibbet. [Obs.] --Bp. Butler. Fork beam (Shipbuilding), a half beam to support a deck, where hatchways occur. Fork chuck (Wood Turning), a lathe center having two prongs for driving the work. Fork head. (a) The barbed head of an arrow. (b) The forked end of a rod which forms part of a knuckle joint. In fork. (Mining) A mine is said to be in fork, or an engine to ``have the water in fork,'' when all the water is drawn out of the mine. --Ure. The forks of a river or a road, the branches into which it divides, or which come together to form it; the place where separation or union takes place.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(forks, forking, forked) 1. A fork is a tool used for eating food which has a row of three or four long metal points at the end. ...knives and forks. N-COUNT 2. If you fork food into your mouth or onto a plate, you put it there using a fork. Ann forked some fish into her mouth... He forked an egg onto a piece of bread and folded it into a sandwich. VERB: V n into/onto n, V n into/onto n 3. A garden fork is a tool used for breaking up soil which has a row of three or four long metal points at the end. N-COUNT 4. A fork in a road, path, or river is a point at which it divides into two parts and forms a 'Y' shape. We arrived at a fork in the road... The road divides; you should take the right fork. N-COUNT: usu with supp 5. If a road, path, or river forks, it forms a fork. Beyond the village the road forked... The path dipped down to a sort of cove, and then it forked in two directions. VERB: no cont, V, V prep/adv 6. see also tuning fork

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fork (shelosh qilleshon):

This compound word, meaning strictly "three points" or "three prongs," is found only once (1Sa 13:21), and doubtless there refers to the agricultural tool now known as the pitchfork. It might, however, also be a weapon.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Branch, branching, division, divarication. II. v. n. Branch, divide, divaricate.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A pickpocket. Let us fork him; let us pick his pocket.--'The newest and most dexterous way, which is, to thrust the fingers strait, stiff, open, and very quick, into the pocket, and so closing them, hook what can be held between them.' N.B. This was taken from a book written many years ago: doubtless the art of picking pockets, like all others, must have been much improved since that time.

Moby Thesaurus

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