Pitchfork
'pɪtʃfɔːrk
Definitions
2 meaningsA long-handled tool with sharp tines, used for lifting and moving loose material.
'pɪtʃfɔːrk
A farming tool with a long handle and two or more tines used for lifting and carrying hay or straw.
He leaned the pitchfork against the fence.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're at a farm and need to move hay. A pitchfork is like a giant fork that helps you lift and toss the hay easily. You might see a farmer using it to feed animals or to store the hay.
👶 For kids: A long stick with pointy things at the end, used to lift hay!
More Examples
She carefully loaded the hay onto the wagon with a pitchfork.
The pitchfork was rusty from years of use.
How It's Used
"The farmer used a pitchfork to toss the hay into the barn."
A long-handled weapon with sharp tines, sometimes used for violent purposes or protest.
'pɪtʃfɔːrk
A weapon used historically in protests, riots or mob violence.
The angry villagers were armed with pitchforks and torches.
💡 Simply: Sometimes people in movies or stories use pitchforks as weapons, especially when they're angry. It's not something you see every day, but it's a symbol of revolt or mob violence.
👶 For kids: A fork that people sometimes used as a weapon a long, long time ago.
More Examples
The riot police were prepared for the protesters with pitchforks.
The mob with their pitchforks gathered at the gates.
How It's Used
"The angry mob armed themselves with pitchforks and torches and stormed the castle."
"They were figuratively 'pitchforked' from their positions due to their actions."
From Middle English *picchforke*, a compound of *picche* (pitch, a tool for throwing hay) and *forke* (fork, a forked tool). The word evolved through agricultural usage.
Historically used in agriculture and sometimes by mobs as a crude weapon.
Memory tip
Picture a farmer pitching hay with a fork!
Word Origin
"a tool for pitching or forking"