prong

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 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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹɒŋ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɹɔŋ/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /pɹɑŋ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• 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. (sometimes figurative) A branch; a fork.

   the two prongs of a river

   the second prong of the argument

3. (colloquial) The penis.
   • 1977, John Ironstone, Orphan, page 102:

     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!

   • 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!?

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.

Etymology

Cognate with Eastern Cham praong.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɣɔŋ/

Adjective

prong

1. big