Where does “Pitchfork” come from?
Pitchfork (English) comes from Middle English pichfork, from Middle English picchen, from Middle English pikken, from Old English piccian, from Proto-West Germanic pikkōn, from Proto-Germanic pikkōną, from Proto-Indo-European bew- — "low-pitch humming noise".
Pitchfork (English): An agricultural hand tool comprising a fork with sparse, light tines, attached to a long handle, used for pitching hay (especially loose hay) high up onto a stack (as on a wagon or haystack, or into a haymow)
Definitions
- An agricultural hand tool comprising a fork with sparse, light tines, attached to a long handle, used for pitching hay (especially loose hay) high up onto a stack (as on a wagon or haystack, or into a haymow)
Ancestry of “Pitchfork”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pichfork | A pitchfork; A fire iron resembling a fork |
| 2 | Middle English | picchen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | pikken | Alternative form of piken; to pick, pierce; to... |
| 4 | Old English | piccian | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | pikkōn | to peck, strike |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | pikkōną | to pick, peck, prick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bew- | "low-pitch humming noise" |