Where does “prong” come from?
Prong comes from Middle English pronge, from Middle Low German prange, from Middle Low German prangen.
prong (English): A thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler...
Definitions
- A thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler...
Ancestry of “prong”, step by step
prong traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English prōnge
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | prōnge | affliction, agony, pain; pointed instrument |
| 2 | Middle Low German | prange | pole, stake; kind of pillory or stocks; stick,... |
| 3 | Middle Low German | prangen | to press, pinch |
| 4 | Old Saxon | *prangan | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *prangan | to press |
via Dutch pronken
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | pronken | to display, to show off |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | pronken | to flaunt |
Words derived from “prong”