Prong
/prɒŋ/noun
A pointed branch or tine, especially one of several on a fork or similar tool.
Did you know?English prong is traced to a Germanic source related to projecting points and forks, showing how everyday tools preserve ancient words for splitting, thrusting, and branching shapes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spreng-
“to spring, leap, or make a quick movement”
Old English
OE
*prang / *prong?
“not securely attested as a direct Old English form; the word enters later English from a Germanic base meaning a projecting point”
Middle English
ME
prong
“a pointed end, spike, or tine”
Early Modern English
English
prong
“a forked point or tine, especially on a fork or tool”
Modern English
English
prong
“one of the pointed projections of a fork, trident, or similar object”