Forked
/fɔːrkt/noun
Bent, split, or divided into two or more branches; also the past tense and past participle of fork.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *furca*, a “fork” or “gallows,” and that same root also gave English *furcate* and *furcula*—a reminder that language often grows from tools, trees, and execution posts.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰerǵʰ-
“To split, divide, or branch”
Latin
Latin
furca
“A forked implement; a pitchfork; a yoke; a gallows-like frame”
Late Latin
Latin
furcātus
“Forked, divided into two branches”
Old French
Old French
forque
“A fork; a two-pronged implement”
Middle English
English
forked
“Having the shape of a fork; split into branches”
Modern English
English
forked
“Split or divided into two or more branches; also past tense/past participle of fork”