Added 9 October 2026
pitchfork
/ˈpɪt͡ʃˌfɔɹk/ noun
In Latin: mergae, furcilla Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about pitchfork at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An agricultural hand tool comprising a fork with sparse, light tines, attached to a long handle, used for pitching hay (especially loose hay) high up onto a stack (as on a wagon or haystack, or into a haymow).
- A similar fork with slightly more and heavier tines, used for mucking stalls and pitching soiled bedding into a wagon or manure spreader.
- Any fork used for farm labor, even a digging fork (but such usage is often considered ignorant by experienced farmers).
verb
Origin
From Middle English pichfork, pycchefork, pychforke, pikeforke, pikkforke, pic-forcke, equivalent to pitch (verb) + fork (i.e. "a fork used for pitching or throwing material, like hay"). The figurative sense (noun sense 4) is an allusion to a crowd of farmers wielding their farm tools as weapons.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)