The meaning of PITCHFORK is a long-handled fork that has two or three long somewhat curved prongs and is used especially in pitching hay.

A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.

PITCHFORK definition: 1. a tool with a long handle and two or three large curved metal points, used for moving hay…. Learn more.

A large, long-handled fork with sharp, widely spaced prongs for lifting and pitching hay. To lift or toss with or as if with a pitchfork. [Alteration (influenced by pichen, to throw) of Middle English pikforke : pik, pick; see pick2 or pik, spike; see pike5 + forke, fork; see fork.]

to pitch or throw with or as if with a pitchfork. late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; pitch 1, fork. He spent three years in prison after being charged with attempted murder for a …

A pitchfork is a tool with a long handle and two pointed parts that is used on a farm for lifting hay or cut grass.

What does the noun pitchfork mean? There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun pitchfork . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

PITCHFORK meaning: a tool that has two or three long, thin metal bars on a long handle and that is used for lifting hay

a farm tool in the shape of a large fork with a long handle and two or three sharp metal points, used especially for lifting and moving hay (= dried grass), etc. Definition of pitchfork noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

The term “pitchfork” in slang carries a distinctive connotation that diverges from its literal definition. In slang vernacular, “pitchfork” embodies the notion of thrusting someone unexpectedly or abruptly into a challenging or unprepared circumstance.