Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2
Original entry ↗A utensil with spikes used to put solid food into the mouth, or to hold food down while cutting, or for serving food. · 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. · Such a pronged tool having a long straight handle, generally for two-handed use, as used for digging, lifting, mucking, pitching, etc. · A tuning fork.
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 derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerk(ʷ)-, *ǵʰerg(ʷ)- (“fork”), although the development of the -c- is difficult to explain. In other senses this derivation is unlikely. For these, perhaps it is connected to Proto-Germanic *furkaz, *firkalaz (“stake, stick, pole, post”), from Proto-Indo-European *perg- (“pole, post”). If so, this would relate the word to Old English forclas pl (“bolt”), Old Saxon ferkal (“lock, bolt, bar”), Old Norse forkr (“pole, staff, stick”), Norwegian fork (“stick, bat”), Swedish fork (“pole”).
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
- Inherited-form mentionforkeenm · digging fork
- Inherited-form mentionforceang
- Inherited-form mention*furkōgmw-pro · fork
- Derivation mentionfurcala · pitchfork, forked stake; gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke
- Cognate mentionforchefro
- Cognate mentionfourchefr
- Doublet mentionfourcheen
- Doublet mentionfurcateen
- Cognate mentionforckfrr · fork
- Cognate mentionvorknl · fork
- Cognate mentionforkda · fork
- Cognate mentionForkede · pitchfork
- Cognate mentionfurcala
- Derivation mention*ǵʰerk(ʷ)-ine-pro
- Derivation mention*furkazgem-pro
- Derivation mention*perg-ine-pro · pole, post
- Cognate mentionforclasang · bolt
- Cognate mentionferkalosx · lock, bolt, bar
- Cognate mentionforkrnon · pole, staff, stick
- Cognate mentionforkno · stick, bat
- Cognate mentionforksv · pole
This page abbreviates 20 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.
Inspect preserved source fields
Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.
{
"templates": [
{
"name": "etymon",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "enm:forke"
},
"expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*ǵʰerk(ʷ)-\\/\\/*ǵʰerg(ʷ)-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"furca\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*furkō\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"forca\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"forke\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"fork\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"fork\">"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "enm",
"3": "forke",
"t": "digging fork"
},
"expansion": "Middle English forke (“digging fork”)"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ang",
"3": "force"
},
"expansion": "Old English force"
},
{
"name": "inh",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gmw-pro",
"3": "*furkō",
"t": "fork"
},
"expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *furkō (“fork”)"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "la",
"3": "furca",
"t": "pitchfork, forked stake; gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke"
},
"expansion": "Latin furca (“pitchfork, forked stake; gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "enm",
"2": "-"
},
"expansion": "Middle English"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "xno",
"3": "-"
},
"expansion": "Anglo-Norman"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fro-nor",
"3": "forque"
},
"expansion": "Old Northern French forque"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "fro",
"2": "forche"
},
"expansion": "Old French forche"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "fr",
"2": "fourche"
},
"expansion": "French fourche"
},
{
"name": "doublet",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "fourche",
"3": "furcate"
},
"expansion": "Doublet of fourche and furcate"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "frr",
"2": "forck",
"t": "fork"
},
"expansion": "North Frisian forck (“fork”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "nl",
"2": "vork",
"t": "fork"
},
"expansion": "Dutch vork (“fork”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "da",
"2": "fork",
"t": "fork"
},
"expansion": "Danish fork (“fork”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "de",
"2": "Forke",
"t": "pitchfork"
},
"expansion": "German Forke (“pitchfork”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "-"
},
"expansion": "Old English"
},
{
"name": "m-g",
"args": {
"1": "fork"
},
"expansion": "“fork”"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "furca"
},
"expansion": "Latin furca"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*ǵʰerk(ʷ)-"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerk(ʷ)-"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "gem-pro",
"3": "*furkaz"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Germanic *furkaz"
},
{
"name": "der",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ine-pro",
"3": "*perg-",
"t": "pole, post"
},
"expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *perg- (“pole, post”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "ang",
"2": "forclas",
"t": "bolt",
"g": "p"
},
"expansion": "Old English forclas pl (“bolt”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "osx",
"2": "ferkal",
"t": "lock, bolt, bar"
},
"expansion": "Old Saxon ferkal (“lock, bolt, bar”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "non",
"2": "forkr",
"t": "pole, staff, stick"
},
"expansion": "Old Norse forkr (“pole, staff, stick”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "no",
"2": "fork",
"t": "stick, bat"
},
"expansion": "Norwegian fork (“stick, bat”)"
},
{
"name": "cog",
"args": {
"1": "sv",
"2": "fork",
"t": "pole"
},
"expansion": "Swedish fork (“pole”)"
},
{
"name": "etymon",
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": ":inh",
"3": "enm:forke"
},
"expansion": ""
}
],
"links": [
[
"forke",
"forke#Middle_English"
],
[
"force",
"force#Old_English"
],
[
"forca",
"forca#Old_English"
],
[
"*furkō",
"Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/furkō"
],
[
"furca",
"furca#Latin"
],
[
"forque",
"forque#Old_French"
],
[
"forche",
"forche#Old_French"
],
[
"fourche",
"fourche#French"
],
[
"fourche",
"fourche#English"
],
[
"furcate",
"furcate#English"
],
[
"forck",
"forck#North_Frisian"
],
[
"vork",
"vork#Dutch"
],
[
"fork",
"fork#Danish"
],
[
"Forke",
"Forke#German"
],
[
"gafol",
"gafol#Old_English"
],
[
"ġeafel",
"geafel#Old_English"
],
[
"ġeafle",
"geafle#Old_English"
],
[
"furca",
"furca#Latin"
],
[
"*ǵʰerk(ʷ)-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰerk(ʷ)-"
],
[
"*ǵʰerg(ʷ)-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰerg(ʷ)-"
],
[
"*furkaz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/furkaz"
],
[
"*firkalaz",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/firkalaz"
],
[
"*perg-",
"Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/perg-"
],
[
"forclas",
"forclas#Old_English"
],
[
"ferkal",
"ferkal#Old_Saxon"
],
[
"forkr",
"forkr#Old_Norse"
],
[
"fork",
"fork#Norwegian"
],
[
"fork",
"fork#Swedish"
]
],
"references": [],
"descendants": [
{
"lang": "Sranan Tongo",
"lang_code": "srn",
"word": "forku"
},
{
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"word": "fork",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Japanese",
"lang_code": "ja",
"word": "フォーク",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "fōku"
},
{
"lang": "Kannada",
"lang_code": "kn",
"word": "ಫೋರ್ಕ್",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "phōrk"
},
{
"lang": "Korean",
"lang_code": "ko",
"word": "포크",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "pokeu"
},
{
"lang": "Māori",
"lang_code": "mi",
"word": "paoka",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
]
},
{
"lang": "Tamil",
"lang_code": "ta",
"word": "போர்க்",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "pōrk"
},
{
"lang": "Tamil",
"lang_code": "ta",
"word": "ஃபோர்க்",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "fōrk"
},
{
"lang": "Telugu",
"lang_code": "te",
"word": "ఫోర్క్",
"raw_tags": [
"borrowed"
],
"roman": "phōrk"
}
],
"lexical": [
{
"pos": "noun",
"glosses": [
"A utensil with spikes used to put solid food into the mouth, or to hold food down while cutting, or for serving food.",
"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.",
"Such a pronged tool having a long straight handle, generally for two-handed use, as used for digging, lifting, mucking, pitching, etc.",
"A tuning fork."
],
"tags": [],
"recordId": "cce1bcafac08fc303c5681fcab3ba3aa71bf243451bdad8d9c96d8b3c5cd902d",
"rawRecordSha256": "2cbf303ae14fe2715dbbf820bc719b35dbadc09969d4e926b475b7a8c47f468a",
"sourceRecordOrdinal": 147073
}
],
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"lexicalSenses": 20,
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}
}