prong

English

Etymology

From Middle English pronge, perhaps from Middle Low German prange (“stick, restraining device”), from prangen (“to press, pinch”), from Old Saxon *prangan, from Proto-West Germanic *prangan, from Proto-Germanic *pranganą (“to press”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preng- (“to wrap up, constrict”).

Akin to Lithuanian springstù (“to choke, become choked or obstructed”), Latvian sprañgât (“cord, constrict”), Ancient Greek σπαργανόω (sparganóō, “to swaddle”), σπάργανον (spárganon, “swaddling cloth”). See also prank, prance, prink.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹɒŋ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /pɹɑŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɒŋ

Noun

prong (plural prongs)

1. A thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler or a fork or similar tool. A tine.

   a pitchfork with four prongs

2. A branch; a fork.

   the two prongs of a river

3. (colloquial) The penis.
   • 2008, Andy Zaltzman on The Bugle podcast, episode 34, You Will Know Us By Our Knobbly Fruit.

     Hang on... That looks like... No, it can't be. Is that my wang!? Micky Paintbrush, have you painted my papal prong on that nudy man!?

Derived terms

• pronghorn

Translations

thin, pointed, projecting part

• Bulgarian: зъбец (bg) m (zǎbec)
• Czech: hrot (cs) m
• Danish: spids (da), tand (da)
• Dutch: tand (nl) m, punt (nl) m, spits (nl) m, piek (nl) m
• Finnish: kärki (fi), piikki (fi)
• French: dent (fr) f, pointe (fr) f, broche (fr) f
• Galician: galla f, puga f
• German: Zinke (de) f, Zacke (de) f, Zacken (de) m, Stift (de) m, Ende (de) n, Sprosse (de) f, Krappe (de) m, Stachel (de) m, Dorn (de) m, Stab (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient: στόρθυγξ m or f (stórthunx)

• Icelandic: gaddur (is) m
• Irish: beangán m
• Italian: punta (it) f, dente (it) m, rebbio (it) m
• Macedonian: парог m (parog), забец m (zabec)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: kātara
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tind m

  Nynorsk: tind m

• Polish: szpica f, grot (pl) m, kolec (pl) m, ząb (pl) m
• Portuguese: ponta (pt) f, dente (pt) m
• Russian: шпенёк (ru) (špenjók), зубе́ц (ru) (zubéc)
• Slovak: vetva, výbežok, kolík, hrot
• Spanish: diente (es) m, prolongación (es) f, punta (es) f
• Swedish: spets (sv), klo (sv), led (sv), udd (sv) c
• Tagalog: sanga ng sungay

branch

• Bulgarian: разклонение (bg) n (razklonenie)
• Danish: gren (da)
• Dutch: arm (nl) m
• Finnish: haara (fi)
• French: bras (fr) m
• Galician: galla f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Zweig (de) m, Arm (de) m
• Irish: beangán m
• Italian: ramo (it) m, ramificazione (it) f, biforcazione (it) f
• Macedonian: гранка f (granka)
• Portuguese: braço (pt) m, ramo (pt) m
• Russian: ветвь (ru) (vetvʹ)
• Slovak: vetva

See also

• tine
• tooth

Verb

prong (third-person singular simple present prongs, present participle pronging, simple past and past participle pronged)

1. To pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong.
   • 1926 December, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, “Jeeves and the Impending Doom”, in Very Good, Jeeves!, London: Herbert Jenkins Limited […], published 20 June 1930, →OCLC, page 15:

     He uncovered the fragrant eggs and b., and I pronged a moody forkful.

Translations

to pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong

• Bulgarian: бода (bg) (boda), пробождам (bg) (proboždam), промушвам (bg) (promušvam)
• German: aufspießen, spießen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}