prong |prôNG| noun 1 each of two or more projecting pointed parts at the end of a fork. • a projecting part on various other devices: a small rubber brush with large prongs. 2 each of the separate parts of an attack or operation: the three main prongs of the new government's program. verb [ with obj. ] pierce or stab with a fork: pronging the bread with a fondue fork. DERIVATIVES pronged |prôNGd|adjective [ in combination ] : a three-pronged attack ORIGIN late 15th cent. (denoting a forked implement): perhaps related to Middle Low German prange ‘pinching instrument.’ The verb dates from the mid 19th cent.