forked

[fawrkt, fawr-kid]

adjective

1. having a fork or fork-like branches.

2. zigzag, as lightning.

forked

/ ˈfɔːkɪdlɪ, fɔːkt, ˈfɔːkɪd /

adjective

1. 1. having a fork or forklike parts

   2. ( in combination )

      two-forked

2. having sharp angles; zigzag

3. insincere or equivocal (esp in the phrase forked tongue )

Other Word Forms

• forkedly adverb
• forkedness noun
• unforked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of forked¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; fork, -ed ³

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. to speak with / have a forked tongue, to speak deceitfully; attempt to deceive.

Example Sentences

I catch glimpses of their moldy yellow teeth and the forked black tongues that swirl behind them.

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Hollywood heavyweight Mark Wahlberg has forked over $37 million to buy a newly flipped, fully furnished Florida mansion on an exclusive stretch known as “Billionaires Row.”

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King Lear, bearing the brunt of a storm, looks at what he thinks is a mad beggar and wonders if “unaccommodated man” is no more than “a poor, bare, forked animal.”

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At one point told the investigation had been suspended, Hannah and Kris forked out even more money for a detailed forensic report, and threatened to make a formal complaint to the police watchdog.

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Last year, it forked out 114m yen for the top tuna.

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