fork

英文詞源

fork

fork: [OE] Fork comes from Latin furca, a word of unknown origin which denoted ‘two-pronged fork or stake’. It provided most of the Romance and Celtic languages with their terms for ‘fork’, as well as English (French fourche, for instance, Italian forca, Spanish horca, Welsh fforch, and Breton forc’h). The term was not widely used for ‘table forks’ until they came into general use, from Italy, in the 15th and 16th centuries; several languages have used diminutive forms in this context, such as French fourchette and Romanian furculita. Bifurcate [17] is a derivative, descended from Latin bifurcus ‘twopronged’.
=> bifurcate, carfax

fork (n.)

Old English forca, force "pitchfork, forked instrument, forked weapon," from a Germanic borrowing (Old Frisian forke, Dutch vork, Old Norse forkr, Danish fork) of Latin furca "pitchfork; fork used in cooking," a word of uncertain origin. Old English also had forcel "pitchfork." From c. 1200 as "forked stake or post" (as a gallows or prop).

Table forks are said to have been not used among the nobility in England until 15c. and not common until early 17c. The word is first attested in this sense in English in an inventory from 1430, probably from Old North French forque (Old French furche, Modern French fourche), from the Latin word. Of rivers, from 1753; of roads, from 1839. As a bicycle part from 1871. As a chess attack on two pieces simultaneously by one (usually a knight), it dates from 1650s. In old slang, forks "the two forefingers" is from 1812.

fork (v.)

early 14c., "to divide in branches, go separate ways," also "disagree, be inconsistent," from fork (n.). Transitive meaning "raise or pitch with a fork" is from 1812. Related: Forked; forking. The slang verb phrase fork (something) over is from 1839 (fork out) "give over" is from 1831). Forking (n.) in the forensic sense "disagreement among witnesses" is from c. 1400.