Word
pitchfork
Phoneticspitch·fork
US/ˈpɪtʃˌfɔɹk/
UK/pˈɪtʃfɔːk/
Definition
n. a large tool with a long handle and sharp metal points used for lifting and moving hay or grass.
n. a long-handled farm tool with two or more sharp, curved metal tines used for lifting and tossing hay, straw, or grain.
Examples
“The farmer used a pitchfork to move the hay into the barn.”
“After the harvest, the workers spent the afternoon using pitchforks to stack the straw into neat piles.”
“The angry crowd in the historical drama was depicted carrying torches and pitchforks, a classic visual trope representing a sudden and unorganized uprising of common people.”
Examples
simple
“The farmer used a pitchfork to move the hay into the barn.”
contextual
“After the harvest, the workers spent the afternoon using pitchforks to stack the straw into neat piles.”
complex
“The angry crowd in the historical drama was depicted carrying torches and pitchforks, a classic visual trope representing a sudden and unorganized uprising of common people.”
Usage
Often used metaphorically in the phrase 'pitchforks and torches' to describe a mob or public outrage.
Etymology
From Middle English pichfork, pycchefork, pychforke, pikeforke, pikkforke, pic-forcke, equivalent to pitch + fork.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
rain pitchforks — To rain heavily.