prong

American  

[prawng, prong] / prɔŋ, prɒŋ /

noun

1. one of the pointed tines of a fork.

2. any pointed, projecting part, as of an antler.

   Synonyms:

   spur, tooth, hook

3. a branch of a stream.

4. Jewelry. a tapering metal projection, usually heavier than a claw, rising from the base of a jewelry setting and used to hold a stone in position as needed.

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verb (used with object)

1. to pierce or stab with or as if with a prong.

2. to supply with prongs.

prong British  

/ prɒŋ /

noun

1. a sharply pointed end of an instrument, such as on a fork

2. any pointed projecting part

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verb

1. (tr) to prick or spear with or as if with a prong

Other Word Forms

• pronged
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of prong

1400–50; late Middle English pronge, prange pain, affliction, pointed instrument; akin to Old Swedish prang gorge, narrow street, Middle Low German prange stake, prangen to press, Gothic anaprangan to oppress

Explanation

A prong, like a spike, a tine, or a spoke, is something that sticks out and is pointy. The prongs of your fork are useful for spearing food and delivering it to your mouth. Besides forks, many other objects have prongs, from hoes and rakes to electrical plugs to an animal's horns or antlers (in fact there's a specific group of antelopes commonly called pronghorns). Before it was spelled prong, the word was prange, "pointed instrument," from the Anglo-Latin pronga, "pointed tool," and possibly the Germanic prange, "stick."

Example Sentences

This half-mile, wheelchair-accessible paved loop takes you through a lovely forest along the West Prong Little Pigeon River.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2023

Spilling over rocks and flowing into a river, we discovered the rushing water just off the Lynn Camp Middle Prong Trail in Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains.

From Seattle Times • May 5, 2022

Such changes to regulations and standards are said to be Prong No. 2.

From New York Times • Mar. 16, 2017

Prong No 1: What we’re all doing — women helping women, supporting each other, inspiring each other, networking, cross-promoting, urging each other on.

From Forbes • Aug. 10, 2011

He believed all bad things of Mr. Prong with an absolute faith, but without any ground on which such faith should have been formed.

From Rachel Ray by Trollope, Anthony