Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fork” come from?

Fork derives from Old English force, from Proto-West Germanic furkō, from Latin furca, meaning a pronged implement for holding or pitching.

fork (English): A pronged tool having a long straight handle,...

Definitions

  1. A pronged tool having a long straight handle,...

Ancestry of “fork”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishforkeA fork or graip; A fork-shaped fire iron; A...
2Old Englishforce—
3Proto-West Germanicfurkōfork
4LatinfurcaA two-pronged fork, pitchfork; A fork-shaped...

Words derived from “fork”

  • forklift
  • forkful
  • forkhead
  • forky
  • hayfork
  • prefork
  • forktail
  • forkball
  • forklike
  • forkless
  • dungfork
  • forkbeard
  • forker
  • shakefork
  • multifork
  • forkable
  • forken
  • forkmaker
  • forkiness
  • forkliftable
  • forkballer
  • forko
  • フォーク
  • フォークリフト
Every word from Latin furca →