Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
FORK
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English forke, from Old English & Anglo-French; Old English forca & Anglo-French furke, from Latin furca Date: before 12th century an implement with two or more prongs used especially for taking up (as in eating), pitching, or digging, a forked part, tool, or piece of equipment,
3. a division into branches or the place where something divides into branches, confluence , one of the branches into which something forks, an attack by one chess piece (as a knight) on two pieces simultaneously, forkful noun
II. verb
Date: 15th century
intransitive verb to divide into two or more branches ,
2. to use or work with a fork, to turn into a fork, transitive verb to give the form of a fork to , to attack (two chessmen) simultaneously, to raise, pitch, dig, or work with a fork , pay , contribute , forker noun