From Latin furca 'pitchfork' — table forks were unknown in England until the 17th century.
A utensil with two or more prongs used for lifting food to the mouth or holding it while cutting.
From Latin furca 'pitchfork, forked stake,' borrowed into Old English as forca and reinforced by Old French forque in the Norman period. Table forks were unknown in England until the 1600s; before that the word referred only to agricultural implements. Key roots: furca (Latin: "forked stake").
Table forks were considered scandalously effeminate when first introduced to England around 1611. One early adopter, Thomas Coryat, was mocked as 'Furcifer' (fork-bearer) by his friends.