forklift

Etymology

It is a shortening of “fork-lift truck”,^[2] and is formed from English fork + lift.^[2][3] Etymonline records “fork-lift truck” from 1946 and the short form from 1953.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A machine that lifts heavy loads on a row of steel prongs pushed under them: Merriam-Webster gives 1944 as the first known use,^[4][5] and Dictionary.com dates the word to the early 1940s.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The word began as the name of the whole vehicle, the “fork-lift truck”,^[2] and the short form took over that meaning.^[2][4] It is also used as a verb, to move or stack goods with such a machine.^[6][1] In American poker slang a forklift is a large win.^[7]

Timeline

• 1944 – a machine that lifts loads on steel prongs.^[4][5] Etymonline dates the short form to 1953.^[2]
• 1946 – “fork-lift truck”.^[2]
• 1996 – in poker slang, a big win.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A small industrial vehicle with a powered, pronged platform that is pushed under a load and raised or lowered to lift and move it: The pallets were loaded onto the lorry by forklift.^[6][4][5]
2. (poker slang) A big win.^[7]

Verb

1. To move or stack goods with such a vehicle.^[6][1]

Related words

• fork
• lift

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ a b c Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge