Prong Meaning
/pɹɒŋ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler or a fork or similar tool.
nounA branch; a fork.
Sentence Examples
A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong.
The wide blade or the third prong is provided for your safety.
Does Ziri's dog have a flat or a prong collar?
CEFR Practice Quiz
A single bent ____ on the fork made it difficult to pick up food.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The fork had a bent ____ that made it difficult to use properly at the dinner table.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English pronge, perhaps from Middle Low German prange (“stick, restraining device”), from prangen (“to press, pinch”), from Old Saxon *prangan, from Proto-West Germanic *prangan, from Proto-Germanic *pranganą (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preng- (“to wrap up, constrict”). Akin to Lithuanian spriñgti (“to choke, become choked or obstructed”), Latvian sprañgât (“cord, constrict”), Ancient Greek σπαργανόω (sparganóō, “to swaddle”), σπάργανον (spárganon, “swaddling cloth”). See also prank, prance, prink.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] a tradition is recorded that a man called 'Ralph' resided in this cavern for many years, and, with a prong as his weapon, successively kept the bailiffs at bay."
— 1874, Mary Elizabeth Whitcombe, Bygone days in Devonshire and Cornwall, page 104:
"One look at that lifeguard's prong gave me a throbber like a baseball bat — not quite that big, of course, but at least that hard!"
— 1977, John Ironstone, Orphan, page 102:
"He uncovered the fragrant eggs and b., and I pronged a moody forkful."
— 1926 December, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Jeeves and the Impending Doom”, in Very Good, Jeeves!, London: Herbert Jenkins Limited […], published 20 June 1930, →OCLC, page 15:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A single bent ____ on the fork made it difficult to pick up food.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The fork had a bent ____ that made it difficult to use properly at the dinner table.