spork

Thân thiện

A child uses a spork to eat yogurt at a picnic table.

Definition

Noun: 1. A single utensil designed for eating, combining the features of a spoon (a shallow bowl) and a fork (short tines or prongs). It is typically made of plastic and intended for casual or disposable use.

Usage

The word "spork" is used to refer to the specific hybrid utensil. It functions grammatically as a countable noun. * You need a spork to eat that yogurt and fruit cup. * The picnic kit included a knife, a napkin, and a spork. * Many fast-food restaurants provide sporks with their takeaway meals.

Examples

• The child struggled to eat peas with the flimsy plastic spork.
• For backpacking, a durable metal spork saves weight and space in your pack.
• He absentmindedly tapped the table with his spork while thinking.

Advanced Usage

• The term is a portmanteau, a blend of the words "spoon" and "fork." This highlights its dual function.
• While originally and still commonly a trademark for a specific product, "spork" is often used generically to describe any spoon-fork hybrid utensil.

Variants and Related Words

• Sporkful (noun, informal): The amount a spork can hold.
  • He ate a sporkful of rice.
• Spork can also be used humorously or descriptively for any object that combines features of two different things.
• Related utensils: Spoon, Fork, Spife (a spoon-knife hybrid), Knork (a knife-fork hybrid).

Synonyms

• Hybrid utensil
• Spoon-fork (descriptive, not a common single word)

Notes

There are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs associated with "spork" due to its status as a concrete noun for a specific object.

Học thuật

Noun

1. trademark for a plastic eating utensil that has both tines and a bowl like a spoon

Từ đồng nghĩa

• spork