fork

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fɔːk/ (General American) IPA(key): /fɔɹk/, [fo̞ɹk] (without the horse–hoarse merger, rhotic) IPA(key): /fo(ː)ɹk/ Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)k === Etymology 1 === From Middle English forke (“digging fork”), from Old English force, forca (“forked instrument used to torture”), from Proto-West Germanic *furkō (“fork”), from Latin furca (“pitchfork, forked stake; gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke”), of uncertain origin. The Middle English word was later reinforced by Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French forque (= Old French forche whence French fourche), also from the Latin. Doublet of fourche and furcate. Cognate also with North Frisian forck (“fork”), 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 pl (“bolt”), Old Saxon ferkal (“lock, bolt, bar”), Old Norse forkr (“pole, staff, stick”), Norwegian fork (“stick, bat”), Swedish fork (“pole”). ==== Noun ==== fork (plural forks) Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows: A utensil with spikes used to put solid food into the mouth, or to hold food down while cutting, or for serving food. Coordinate terms: spoon, knife, table knife, butter knife, steak knife, spork, foon, chork Hyponyms: salad fork, cocktail fork, crab fork, pickle fork, chip fork Any of several types of pronged tools for use on farms, in fields, or in the garden or lawn, such as a smaller hand fork for weeding or a larger one for turning over the soil. Such a pronged tool having a long straight handle, generally for two-handed use, as used for digging, lifting, mucking, pitching, etc. Hyponyms: pitchfork, digging fork, spade fork, spading fork, garden fork A tuning fork. (by abstraction, from the tool shape) A fork in the road, as follows: (physical) An intersection in a road or path where one road is split into two. (figurative) A decision point. (by abstraction, from the tool shape) A point where a waterway, such as a river or other stream, splits and flows into two (or more) different directions. Antonym: confluence (metonymic, analogous to any prong of a pronged tool) 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. Synonyms: branch, prong (but the word prong is usually reserved for the physical sense, and the word tine is always so) (figuratively, decision-making) A point in time where one has to make a decision between two life paths. (metonymic) Either of the (figurative) paths thus taken. (figuratively, by abstraction, from a physical fork) (software development, content management, data management) A departure from having a single source of truth (SSOT), sometimes intentionally but usually unintentionally. (metonymic) Any of the pieces/versions (of software, content, or data sets) thus created. Antonym: single source of truth, SSOT (software) The launch of one or more separate software development efforts based upon a modified copy of an existing project, especially in free and open-source software. (software) Any of the software projects resulting from the launch of such separate software development efforts based upon a copy of the original project. (content management) The splitting of the coverage of a topic (within a corpus of content) into two or more pieces. (content management) Any of the pieces/versions of content thus created. (cryptocurrencies) A split in a blockchain resulting from protocol disagreements, or a branch of the blockchain resulting from such a split. Hyponyms: hard fork, soft fork (chess) The simultaneous attack of two adversary pieces with one single attacking piece (especially a knight). (British, vulgar) The crotch. (Can we add an example for this sense?) (colloquial) A forklift. Either of the blades of a forklift (or, in plural, the set of blades), on which the goods to be raised are loaded. (cycling, motorcycling, by abstraction from a pronged tool's shape) In a bicycle or motorcycle, the portion of the frameset holding the front wheel, allowing the rider to steer and balance, also called front fork. The upper front brow of a saddle bow, connected in the tree by the two saddle bars to the cantle on the other end. Synonyms: swell, pommel (computing, file systems) A set of data associated with an individual file in some file systems. (obsolete) A gallows. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== Sranan Tongo: forku → Dutch: fork → Japanese: フォーク (fōku) → Kannada: ಫೋರ್ಕ್ (phōrk) → Korean: 포크 (pokeu) → Māori: paoka → Tamil: போர்க் (pōrk), ஃபோர்க் (fōrk) → Telugu: ఫోర్క్ (phōrk) ===== Translations ===== ===== See also ===== denture trident, a three-pronged spear somewhat resembling a pitchfork ==== Verb ==== fork (third-person singular simple present forks, present participle forking, simple past and past participle forked) (ambitransitive) To divide into two or more branches or copies. (ambitransitive, computing) To spawn a new child process by duplicating the existing process. (ambitransitive, software engineering) To launch a separate software development effort based upon a modified copy of an existing software project, especially in free and open-source software. (transitive, software engineering) To create a copy of a distributed version control repository. (transitive) To move with a fork (as hay or food). (transitive, British) To kick someone in the crotch. (intransitive) To shoot into blades, as corn does. (chess) To simultaneously attack two opposing pieces with a single attacking piece. (transitive) Euphemistic form of fuck. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== knife spoon === Etymology 2 === Ultimately from Etymology 1, above, through use for various things with two or more branches. Attested in this sense from the 18th century. ==== Alternative forms ==== forcque ==== Noun ==== fork (plural forks) (mining) The bottom of a sump into which the water of a mine drains. ==== Verb ==== fork (third-person singular simple present forks, present participle forking, simple past and past participle forked) (mining, transitive) To bale a shaft dry. === References === === Further reading === fork on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “fork”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === Korf == Danish == === Etymology === From Old Norse forkr (“boathook”), from Latin furca (“fork, pitchfork”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fɔrk/, [fɒːɡ̊] === Noun === fork c (singular definite forken, plural indefinite forke) (two-pronged) fork, pitchfork ==== Inflection ==== == Dutch == === Etymology === From English fork in the computer science sense. Doublet of vork (“fork”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /fɔrk/ === Noun === fork f (plural forks, diminutive forkje n) (computer science) a fork, splitting-up of an existing process into itself and a child process executing parts of the same program ==== Synonyms ==== afsplitsing === Anagrams === korf == Middle English == === Noun === fork alternative form of forke