What does "fork" mean?

1. (eating tool) a small tool with three or four points that you use to pick up and eat food. 2. (split in a road) a place where a road, path, or river divides into two or more parts. 3. (software branch) a new version of a computer program that is created by copying the original code and changing it. 4. (chess move) a move in chess where one piece attacks two of the opponent's pieces at the same time. 5. (to split) to divide into two or more different directions. 6. (to move with a tool) to lift or move something using a large fork, like moving hay on a farm.

fork — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01eating tool

A2 · Elementary Countable noun Cooking

n. a small tool with three or four points that you use to pick up and eat food.

n. a handheld utensil with two or more prongs used for lifting or holding food while eating or cooking.

“She used a fork to eat her salad because the lettuce was hard to pick up with a spoon.”

“The formal table setting included a specific fork for the fish course, placed to the left of the main dinner fork.”

Synonyms

utensilcutlery

02split in a road

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a place where a road, path, or river divides into two or more parts.

n. a bifurcation or point of divergence in a road, river, or other linear path.

“When you reach the fork in the road, stay to the left to find the village.”

“The hikers paused at the fork in the trail, consulting their map to ensure they chose the path leading toward the summit rather than the valley.”

Synonyms

junction split branch

Antonyms

merger junction

03software branch

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical

n. a new version of a computer program that is created by copying the original code and changing it.

n. a divergent project or version of a software package created by copying the source code and developing it independently.

“The developers decided to create a fork of the app to test some experimental new features.”

“The community-led fork of the operating system eventually became more popular than the original version due to its frequent security updates.”

Synonyms

branch variant

04chess move

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Sports Technical

n. a move in chess where one piece attacks two of the opponent's pieces at the same time.

n. a tactical maneuver in which a single piece simultaneously attacks two or more of the opponent's pieces.

“He won the game by using his knight to create a fork on the king and the queen.”

“The grandmaster executed a brilliant knight fork, forcing the opponent to sacrifice a rook to save the queen.”

Synonyms

double attack

05to split

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to divide into two or more different directions.

v. to divide or separate into two or more branches or paths.

“The river forks just past the bridge, with one branch flowing toward the sea.”

“The main highway forks several miles ahead, providing access to both the industrial district and the residential suburbs.”

Synonyms

split branch divide

Antonyms

join merge

06to move with a tool

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to lift or move something using a large fork, like moving hay on a farm.

v. to lift, move, or toss material using a pitchfork or similar pronged tool.

“The farmer spent the afternoon forking hay into the back of the truck.”

“The gardener carefully forked the compost into the soil to improve the nutrient levels before planting the spring vegetables.”

Synonyms

pitch toss

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”).

Ultimately from Etymology 1, above, through use for various things with two or more branches. Attested in this sense from the 18th century.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

fork(A2)

pitchfork(B2)

knife spoon trident