fork

CEFRA2

/fɔːk/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A tool with two or more points used for eating.

  2. 02

    verb

    To divide into two or more separate paths.

Examples

  • We reached a fork in the road and stopped to check the map.

  • A fork fell off the table.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
4

Also pronounced

  • [fo̞ɹk]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings
  1. Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows:

  2. A utensil with spikes used to put solid food into the mouth, or to hold food down while cutting, or for serving food.

  3. Any of several types of pronged tools for use on farms, in fields, or in the garden or lawn, such as a smaller hand fork for weeding or a larger one for turning over the soil.

More examples

In context
  • Could we have a fork?

  • this fork of the river dries up during droughts

  • LibreOffice is a fork of OpenOffice.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The hikers reached a blank in the path and had to choose the left route.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English forke (“digging fork”), from Old English force, forca (“forked instrument used to torture”), from Proto-West Germanic *furkō (“fork”), from Latin furca (“pitchfork, forked stake; gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke”), of uncertain origin. The Middle English word was later reinforced by Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French forque (= Old French forche whence French fourche), also from the Latin. Doublet of fourche and furcate. Cognate also with North Frisian forck (“fork”), Dutch vork (“fork”), Danish fork (“fork”), German Forke (“pitchfork”). Displaced native gafol, ġeafel, ġeafle (“fork”), from Old English. In its primary sense of “fork”, Latin furca appears to be deri...