An instrument consisting of a handle with a shank terminating in two or more prongs or tines, which are usually of metal, parallel and slightly curved; -- used for piercing, holding, taking up, or pitching anything. [1913 Webster]
Anything furcate or like a fork in shape, or furcate at the extremity; as, a tuning fork. [1913 Webster]
One of the parts into which anything is furcated or divided; a prong; a branch of a stream, a road, etc.; a barbed point, as of an arrow. [1913 Webster]
"Let it fall . . . though the fork invade
The region of my heart." [1913 Webster]

"A thunderbolt with three forks." [1913 Webster]
The place where a division or a union occurs; the angle or opening between two branches or limbs; as, the fork of a river, a tree, or a road. [1913 Webster]
The gibbet. Bp. Butler. [1913 Webster]

Fork beam (Shipbuilding), a half beam to support a deck, where hatchways occur. -- Fork chuck (Wood Turning), a lathe center having two prongs for driving the work. -- Fork head. (a) The barbed head of an arrow. (b) The forked end of a rod which forms part of a knuckle joint. -- In fork. (Mining) A mine is said to be in fork, or an engine to “have the water in fork,” when all the water is drawn out of the mine. Ure. -- The forks of a river or The forks of a road, the branches into which it divides, or which come together to form it; the place where separation or union takes place.

Fork, v. i.

To shoot into blades, as corn. [1913 Webster]
"The corn beginneth to fork." [1913 Webster]
To divide into two or more branches; as, a road, a tree, or a stream forks. [1913 Webster]

Fork, v. t.

To raise, or pitch with a fork, as hay; to dig or turn over with a fork, as the soil. [1913 Webster]

"Forking the sheaves on the high-laden cart." [1913 Webster]

To fork over To fork out, to hand or pay over, as money; to cough up. [Slang] G. Eliot.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

Fork, n. & v.
--n.
1 an instrument with two or more prongs used in eating or cooking.
2 a similar much larger instrument used for digging, lifting, etc.
3 any pronged device or component (tuning-fork).
4 a forked support for a bicycle wheel.
5 a a divergence of anything, e.g. a stick or road, or US a river, into two parts. b the place where this occurs. c either of the two parts (take the left fork).
6 a flash of forked lightning.
7 Chess a simultaneous attack on two pieces by one.
--v.
1 intr. form a fork or branch by separating into two parts.
2 intr. take one or other road etc. at a fork (fork left for Banbury).
3 tr. dig or lift etc. with a fork.
4 tr. Chess attack (two pieces) simultaneously with one.

Idiom

fork-lift truck a vehicle with a horizontal fork in front for lifting and carrying loads. fork lunch (or supper etc.) a light meal eaten with a fork at a buffet etc. fork out (or up) sl. hand over or pay, usu. reluctantly.

Etymology

OE forca, force f. L furca

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DEVIL DICTIONARY

Fork

n. An instrument used chiefly for the purpose of putting dead animals into the mouth. Formerly the knife was employed for this purpose, and by many worthy persons is still thought to have many advantages over the other tool, which, however, they do not altogether reject, but use to assist in charging the knife. The immunity of these persons from swift and awful death is one of the most striking proofs of God's mercy to those that hate Him.

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THESAURUS

Fork

L, V, affluent, angle, angle off, apex, bail, bayou, bend, bifurcate, bifurcation, bight, billabong, bine, bisect, bough, bowl, branch, branch out, branchedness, branchiness, bucket, burgeon, by two, cant, cast, catapult, chevron, chuck, chunk, cleave, coin, confluent, confluent stream, corner, crank, crook, crotch, crotchet, crutch, cup, cut in two, cutlery, dart, dash, deadwood, decant, deflection, delta, dendritic drainage pattern, dichotomize, dimidiate, dining utensils, dip, dish, dish out, dish up, divaricate, divide, dogleg, effluent, elbow, ell, fan, feeder, fire, fission, flagellum, flat silver, flatware, fling, flip, forks, frond, furcate, furcation, furcula, furculum, groin, halve, heave, hollow ware, hook, hurl, hurtle, in half, inflection, inguen, jerk, knee, knives, ladle, lance, launch, let fly, limb, lob, nook, offshoot, pass, peg, pelt, pitch, pitchfork, point, pour, prong, put, put the shot, quoin, ramage, ramification, ramify, runner, sarment, scion, scoop, serve, shoot, shovel, shy, silver, silver plate, silverware, sling, slip, snap, spade, spear, split in two, spoon, spoons, spray, sprig, sprit, sprout, stainless-steel ware, stem, stolon, subdivide, sucker, swerve, switch, tablespoon, tableware, teaspoon, tendril, thallus, throw, tilt, toss, transect, tributary, trident, trifurcate, twig, veer, vertex, wishbone, zag, zig, zigzag

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ROGET THESAURUS

Fork

bisection

N bisection, bipartition, dichotomy, subdichotomy, halving, dimidiation, bifurcation, forking, branching, ramification, divarication, fork, prong, fold, half, moiety, bisected, cloven, cleft, bipartite, biconjugate, bicuspid, bifid, bifurcous, bifurcate, bifurcated, distichous, dichotomous, furcular, semi-, demi-, hemi.

VB bisect, halve, divide, split, cut in two, cleave dimidiate, dichotomize, go halves, divide with, separate, fork, bifurcate, branch off, out, ramify.

Angularity

N angularity, angularness, aduncity, angle, cusp, bend, fold, notch, fork, bifurcation, elbow, knee, knuckle, ankle, groin, crotch, crutch, crane, fluke, scythe, sickle, zigzag, kimbo, akimbo, corner, nook, recess, niche, oriel, coign, right angle, obliquity, angle of 45 degrees, miter, acute angle, obtuse angle, salient angle, reentering angle, spherical angle, angular measurement, angular elevation, angular distance, angular velocity, trigonometry, goniometry, altimetry, clinometer, graphometer, goniometer, theodolite, sextant, quadrant, dichotomy, triangle, trigon, wedge, rectangle, square, lozenge, diamond, rhomb, rhombus, quadrangle, quadrilateral, parallelogram, quadrature, polygon, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, oxygon, decagon, pyramid, cone, Platonic bodies, cube, rhomboid, tetrahedron, pentahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron, eicosahedron, prism, pyramid, parallelopiped, curb roof, gambrel roof, mansard roof, angular, bent, crooked, aduncous, uncinated, aquiline, jagged, serrated, falciform, falcated, furcated, forked, bifurcate, zigzag, furcular, hooked, dovetailed, knock kneed, crinkled, akimbo, kimbo, geniculated, oblique, fusiform, wedge-shaped, cuneiform, cuneate, multangular, oxygonal, triangular, trigonal, trilateral, quadrangular, quadrilateral, foursquare, rectangular, square, multilateral, polygonal, cubical, rhomboid, rhomboidal, pyramidal.

VB bend, fork, bifurcate, crinkle.

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