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See also:FORK (See also:Lat. furca) , an See also:implement formed of two or more prongs at the end of a See also:shaft or handle, the most See also:familiar type of which is the table-fork for use in eating. In See also:agriculture and See also:horticulture the fork is used for pitching See also:hay, and other See also:green crops, manure, &c.; commonly this has two prongs, " tines "; for digging, breaking up See also:surface See also:soil, preparing for See also:hand weeding and for planting the three-pronged fork is used. . The word is also applied to many See also:objects which are characterizedby branching ends, as the tuning-fork, with two branching See also:metal prongs, which on being struck vibrates and gives a musical See also:note,used to give a See also:standard of See also:pitch; to the branching into two streams of a See also:river, or the junction where a tributary runs into the See also:main river; and in the human See also:body, to that See also:part where the legs See also:branch off from the See also:trunk. The furca, two pieces of See also:wood fastened together in the See also:form of the See also:letter A, was used by the See also:Romans as an See also:instrument of See also:punishment. It was placed over the shoulders of the criminal, and his hands were fastened to it, condemned slaves were compelled to carry it about with them, and those sentenced to be flogged would be tied to it; crucifixions were sometimes carried out on a similar shaped instrument. From the See also:great defeat of the Romans by the See also:Samnites at the See also:battle of the Caudine Forks (Furculae Caudinae), a narrow See also:gorge, where the vanquished were compelled to pass under the yoke (jugum), as a sign of submission, the expression " to pass through or under the forks " has been loosely used of such a disgraceful surrender. The " forks " in any allusion to this defeat should refer to the topographical name and not to the jugum, which consisted of two upright spears with a third placed transversely as a See also:cross-See also:bar. End of Article: FORK (Lat. furca)Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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