Where does “pitchfork” come from?
Pitchfork comes from Middle English pichfork, combining Middle English pikken and Middle English forke, with pikken from Proto-Germanic pikōną meaning to pick or pierce, and forke from Latin furca meaning fork.
pitchfork (English): An agricultural tool comprising a fork attached...
Definitions
- An agricultural tool comprising a fork attached...
Ancestry of “pitchfork”, step by step
pitchfork traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English pichfork
| 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" |
via Middle English pycchefork
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pycchefork | Alternative form of pichfork |
via Middle English pychforke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | pychforke | Alternative form of pichfork |