Meanings
plural prongs
- CornwallA fork (agricultural tool).
[…] a tradition is recorded that a man called 'Ralph' resided in this cavern for many years, and, with a prong as his weapon, successively kept the bailiffs at bay.
1874, Mary Elizabeth Whitcombe, Bygone days in Devonshire and Cornwall, page 104 - colloquialThe 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!?
1 more example
One look at that lifeguard's prong gave me a throbber like a baseball bat — not quite that big, of course, but at least that hard!
1977, John Ironstone, Orphan, page 102
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)preng-“to wrap up, constrict”
- Proto-Germanic*pranganą“to press”
- Proto-West Germanic*prangan
- Old Saxon*prangan
- Middle Low Germanprange“stick, restraining device”
- Middle Englishpronge
- Englishprong
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 spriñgti (“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.
More words from Middle English, Middle Low German, Old Saxon
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek στόρθυγξ
- στόρθυγξ (stórthunx)thin, pointed, projecting part
Bulgarian зъбец, разклонение
- зъбец (zăbec)thin, pointed, projecting part
- разклонение (razklonenie)branch
- бода (boda)to pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong
- пробождам (proboždam)to pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong
- промушвам (promušvam)to pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong
Catalan pua
- puathin, pointed, projecting part
Czech hrot
- hrotthin, pointed, projecting part
Danish spids, tand
- spidsthin, pointed, projecting part
- tandthin, pointed, projecting part
- grenbranch
Dutch tand, punt
- tandthin, pointed, projecting part
- puntthin, pointed, projecting part
- spitsthin, pointed, projecting part
- piekthin, pointed, projecting part
- armbranch
Finnish kärki, piikki
- kärkithin, pointed, projecting part
- piikkithin, pointed, projecting part
- haarabranch
French dent, pointe
- dentthin, pointed, projecting part
- pointethin, pointed, projecting part
- brochethin, pointed, projecting part
- brasbranch
German Zinke, Zacke
- Zinkethin, pointed, projecting part
- Zackethin, pointed, projecting part
- Zackenthin, pointed, projecting part
- Stiftthin, pointed, projecting part
- Endethin, pointed, projecting part
- Sprossethin, pointed, projecting part
- Krappethin, pointed, projecting part
- Stachelthin, pointed, projecting part
- Dornthin, pointed, projecting part
- Stabthin, pointed, projecting part
- Zweigbranch
- Armbranch
- aufspießento pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong
- spießento pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong
Hungarian fog, ág
- fogthin, pointed, projecting part
- ágthin, pointed, projecting part
- ágbranch
Icelandic gaddur
- gaddurthin, pointed, projecting part
Irish beangán, beangán
- beangánthin, pointed, projecting part
- beangánbranch
Italian punta, dente
- puntathin, pointed, projecting part
- dentethin, pointed, projecting part
- rebbiothin, pointed, projecting part
- ramobranch
- ramificazionebranch
- biforcazionebranch
Māori kātara
- kātarathin, pointed, projecting part
Norwegian Bokmål tind
- tindthin, pointed, projecting part
Polish szpica, grot
- szpicathin, pointed, projecting part
- grotthin, pointed, projecting part
- kolecthin, pointed, projecting part
- ząbthin, pointed, projecting part
- badyl (of an antler)thin, pointed, projecting part
Portuguese ponta, dente
- pontathin, pointed, projecting part
- dentethin, pointed, projecting part
- braçobranch
- ramobranch
Romanian dinte, braț
- dintethin, pointed, projecting part
- brațbranch
Russian шпенёк, зубе́ц
- шпенёк (špenjók)thin, pointed, projecting part
- зубе́ц (zubéc)thin, pointed, projecting part
- отро́г (otróg)thin, pointed, projecting part
- рожо́к (rožók)thin, pointed, projecting part
- ветвь (vetvʹ)branch
Slovak vetva, výbežok
- vetvathin, pointed, projecting part
- výbežokthin, pointed, projecting part
- kolíkthin, pointed, projecting part
- hrotthin, pointed, projecting part
- vetvabranch
Spanish prolongación, punta
- prolongaciónthin, pointed, projecting part
- puntathin, pointed, projecting part
- gajothin, pointed, projecting part
- vástagothin, pointed, projecting part
- púathin, pointed, projecting part
- puyathin, pointed, projecting part
- fierritothin, pointed, projecting part
Swedish spets, klo
- spetsthin, pointed, projecting part
- klothin, pointed, projecting part
- ledthin, pointed, projecting part
- uddthin, pointed, projecting part
Tagalog sanga ng sungay
- sanga ng sungaythin, pointed, projecting part
Vietnamese răng, ngạnh
- răngbranch
- ngạnhbranch
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with prong
Cite this entry
prong. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prong
“prong.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prong. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prong,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prong.
Source: prong on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.