| fork | 1. An instrument consisting consisting of a handle with a shank terminating in two or more prongs or tines, which are usually of metal, parallel and slightly curved; used from piercing, holding, taking up, or pitching anything. 2. Anything furcate or like of a fork in shape, or furcate at the extremity; as, a tuning fork. 3. One of the parts into which anything is furcated or divided; a prong; a branch of a stream, a road, etc.; a barbed point, as of an arrow. "Let it fall . . . Though the fork invade The region of my heart." (Shak) "A thunderbolt with three forks." (Addison) 4. The place where a division or a union occurs; the angle or opening between two branches or limbs; as, the fork of a river, a tree, or a road. 5. The gibbet. Fork beam A mine is said to be in fork, or an engine to "have the water in fork," when all the water is drawn out of the mine. The forks of a river or a road, the branches into which it divides, or which come together to form it; the place where separation or union takes place. 6. To shoot into blades, as corn. "The corn beginneth to fork." Origin: AS. Forc, fr. L. Furca. Cf. Fourch, Furcate. (04 Apr 1998) |
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| fork-tailed | <ornithology> Having the outer tail feathers longer than the median ones; swallow-tailed; said of many birds. Fork-tailed flycatcher, a graceful American kite (Elanoides forficatus). Synonym: swallow-tailed kite. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| forkbeard | <zoology> A European fish (Raniceps raninus), having a large flat head; also called tadpole fish, and lesser forked beard. The European forked hake or hake's-dame (Phycis blennoides); also called great forked beard. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| forked | 1. Formed into a forklike shape; having a fork; dividing into two or more prongs or branches; furcated; bifurcated; zigzag; as, the forked lighting. "A serpent seen, with forked tongue." (Shak) 2. Having a double meaning; ambiguous; equivocal. Cross forked, a cross, the ends of whose arms are divided into two sharp points; called also cross double fitche. A cross forked of three points is a cross, each of whose arms terminates in three sharp points. Forked counsel, advice pointing more than one way; ambiguous advice. Fork"edly, Fork"edness. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| forktail | <ornithology> One of several Asiatic and East Indian passerine birds, belonging to Enucurus, and allied genera. The tail is deeply forking. A salmon in its fourth year's growth. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| bite fork | <dentistry> That part of the face-bow assemblage used to attach the maxillary trial base to the face-bow proper. Synonym: bite fork. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| replication fork | A Y-shaped region in a chromosome that serves as the growing site for DNAreplication. (09 Oct 1997) |
| silver-fork deformity | The deformity resembling the curve of the back of a fork seen in Colles' fractures. (05 Mar 2000) |
| silver-fork fracture | A Colles' fracture of the wrist in which the deformity has the appearance of a fork in profile. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tuning fork | <instrument> A steel or magnesium-alloy instrument roughly resembling a two-pronged fork, the vibrations of the prongs of which, when struck, give a musical note of restricted band width; used to test the hearing and vibratory sensation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| face-bow fork | <dentistry> That part of the face-bow assemblage used to attach the maxillary trial base to the face-bow proper. Synonym: bite fork. (05 Mar 2000) |