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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

tine.

A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/taɪn/
  1. A spike or point on an implement or tool, especially a prong of a fork or a tooth of a comb.

  2. A small branch, especially on an antler or horn.

  3. A wild vetch or tare.

    dialectal
Where this word comes from

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.

adj
  1. small, diminutive

Where this word comes from

Unknown, possibly related to etymology 1.

noun
  1. Trouble; distress; teen.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

See teen (“affliction”).

verb
  1. To kindle; to set on fire.

    obsolete
  2. To rage; to smart.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

See tind.

verb
  1. To shut in, or enclose.

    archaic
Where this word comes from

From Middle English tynen, from Old English tȳnan, from tūn (“enclosure”) (modern town).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.