tine

American  

[tahyn] / taɪn /

especially British, tyne

noun

1. a sharp, projecting point or prong, as of a fork.

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tine British  

/ taɪn /

noun

1. a slender prong, esp of a fork

2. any of the sharp terminal branches of a deer's antler

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Other Word Forms

• tined adjective

Etymology

Origin of tine

before 900; late Middle English tyne, Middle English tind, Old English; cognate with Old High German zint, Old Norse tindr

Example Sentences

Pull out the black vein using the tine of a fork or the point of a bamboo skewer.

From Salon • Jul. 18, 2023

Differences in the concentrations of an odorant sensed by each tine of a snake’s forked tongue help the snake home in on quarry it can’t see.

From Science Magazine • May 24, 2023

And Kareem and programs like Kareem’s is one tine on the fork.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2023

Ersson, a 23-year-old Swede, allowed five goals on 22 shots before Hart, who leads tine NHL in shots faced this season, replaced him.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2022

I put the knife through the second tine, as we had been strictly taught, and began to saw against the bone.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou