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

Explanation

A tine is a prong, or a point. When you were little, you may have lined up your peas on the tines of your fork despite your parents telling you not to play with your food. The tines of a fork are what make it possible to spear pieces of food with it. Other objects with similarly sharp points can also be described as having tines — like a pitchfork or the antler of a deer. The pointed end on a dental tool is also called a tine. The origins of the word tine can be traced back to the Old English tind, which means "sharp point," and is related to the German word Zinne, or "pinnacle."

Example Sentences

Another tine on the French fork is the urban agriculture project to educate Parisian schoolchildren and their families about food — where it comes from and what it takes to bring it to their plates.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2024

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

Russell made 11 of 12 field goals and 4 of 5 3-pointers to help the Timberwolves beat the Thunder for second tine in three nights.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 7, 2022

A minute later, he'd fish them out with the tine of a fork and pile them, dripping, onto the paper-towel-lined plate.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2021

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