Etymology Map
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Fork

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a pronged utensil for eating or a pronged farm tool

Where does the word "fork" come from? It comes from Latin furca, passing through Old English before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
furca
Latin · classical
"pitchfork"
a pitchfork; a defeated Roman army was forced under a yoke at the Caudine Forks (Furculae Caudinae) in 321 BC
2
Stage 2 of 3
forca
Old English · medieval
"pitchfork"
a farm pitchfork, reinforced later by Norman French forque
3
Stage 3 of 3
fork
English · 1400s
"eating utensil"
table forks reached England late: Thomas Coryat described Italians eating with them in his Crudities (1611) and was mocked for copying them
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Read the full story

Fork’s story begins in Latin: furca meant “pitchfork.” A pitchfork; a defeated Roman army was forced under a yoke at the Caudine Forks (Furculae Caudinae) in 321 BC. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old English as forca. A farm pitchfork, reinforced later by Norman French forque. It reached English by 1400s as fork. Table forks reached England late: Thomas Coryat described Italians eating with them in his Crudities (1611) and was mocked for copying them. Today, fork means a pronged utensil for eating or a pronged farm tool.