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definitions

prong

[prawng, prong]
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noun

one of the pointed tines of a fork.
any pointed, projecting part, as of an antler.
a branch of a stream.
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.Compare claw(def 7).

verb (used with object)

to pierce or stab with or as if with a prong.
to supply with prongs.

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RELATED WORDS

fork, point, spine, hook, tine, spur, nib, horn

Nearby words

  1. prone,
  2. prone float,
  3. prone pressure method,
  4. pronely,
  5. pronephros,
  6. prong key,
  7. pronged,
  8. pronghorn,
  9. pronomial,
  10. pronominal

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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prong

British Dictionary definitions for prong

prong

noun

a sharply pointed end of an instrument, such as on a fork
any pointed projecting part

verb

(tr) to prick or spear with or as if with a prong
Derived Formspronged, adjective

Word Origin for prong

C15: related to Middle Low German prange a stake, Gothic anaprangan to afflict
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for prong

prong

n.

early 15c., prange "pointed instrument;" mid-15c., pronge "pain," from Anglo-Latin pronga "prong, pointed tool," of unknown origin, perhaps related to Middle Low German prange "stick, restraining device," prangen "to press, pinch." See also prod, which might be related. Prong-horned antelope is from 1815 (short form pronghorn attested from 1826).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper