What does "tine" mean?
A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.
Tine
/taɪn/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.
- Grammar: tine is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: antler prong, horn prong, instrument, point.
- Useful contrasts: base, blunt end, flat tip.
- Usage evidence: The tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the girl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of the same material as the smaller vessels.
How to use "tine"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tine" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tine" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tine" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tine" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tine" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "antler prong" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tine", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.
"The tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the girl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of the same material as the smaller vessels."
- 2 Trouble; distress; teen. obsolete
"As wither'd Weed through cruel Winter's Tine"
- 3 prong on a fork or pitchfork or antler wordnet
- 4 A small branch, especially on an antler or horn.
"“I answer not the challenge of my prisoner,” said Front-de-Bœuf; “nor shalt thou, Maurice de Bracy.—Giles,” he continued, “hang the franklin’s glove upon the tine of yonder branched antlers:[…]"
- 5 A wild vetch or tare. dialectal
Verb
- 1 To kindle; to set on fire. obsolete
"Coals of contention and hot vengeance tin'd."
- 2 To shut in, or enclose. archaic
"When I was then surrounded on every side by the fiends, and tined about by the blindness of the darkness, then hove I my eyes up and looked hither and yond, whether any help were to come to me, that I might be rescued; […]"
- 3 To rage; to smart. obsolete
"Ne was there salve, ne was there medicine, / That mote recure their wounds; so inly they did tine."
Adjective
- 1 small, diminutive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the girl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of the same material as the smaller vessels."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tine"?
Common synonyms include: antler prong, horn prong, instrument, point, prickle, prong.
How do you use "tine" in a sentence?
The tines of the fork were quite evidently of iron or steel, the girl did not know which, while the handle and the spoon were of the same material as the smaller vessels.
How do you pronounce "tine"?
Pronounced /taɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English tine, alteration of Middle English tinde, tind, from Old English tind, from Proto-West Germanic *tind, Proto-Germanic *tindaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts (“tooth, peg”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tiende, Tiene (“prong, tine”), German Zind, Zint (“prong”). Compare also the related English tind and German Zinne.
Etymology 2
Unknown, possibly related to etymology 1.
Etymology 3
See teen (“affliction”).
Etymology 4
See tind.
Etymology 5
From Middle English tynen, from Old English tȳnan, from tūn (“enclosure”) (modern town).
Etymology 6
Various origins: * Borrowed from Italian Tinè, a surname predominantly found in Sicily. * An English surname, variant of Tyne. * An Americanized spelling of the German surname Thein.