fork
UK: fɔːk | US: fɔːrk
n. a utensil with prongs for lifting or holding food
n. a division into two or more branches (e.g., a road fork)
vt. to divide into branches or separate paths
vt. to lift or move with a fork
The word "fork" traces back to Old English forca, borrowed from Latin furca (pitchfork, forked stake). The Latin term originally referred to agricultural tools with prongs, later extending to dining utensils in Medieval Latin. The Germanic languages adopted the word early, preserving its core meaning of a bifurcated object. The spelling simplified over time, dropping the Latin -a but retaining the functional idea of splitting or lifting.
She used a fork to eat the salad.
The road forks ahead; take the left path.
He forked the hay into the wagon.
The lightning split the tree like a giant fork.
The river forks into two smaller streams.