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tuning fork

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tuning fork

–noun
a steel instrument consisting of a stem with two prongs, producing a musical tone of definite, constant pitch when struck, and serving as a standard for tuning musical instruments, making acoustical experiments, and the like.

Origin:
1765–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tun·ing fork   (tōō'nĭng, tyōō'-)
n.  A small two-pronged metal device that when struck produces a sound of fixed pitch that is used as a reference, as in tuning musical instruments.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tuning fork 
1799, from gerundive of tune (v.) + fork. Invented 1711 by John Shore.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tun·ing fork
Pronunciation: 't(y)ün-i[ng]-
Function: noun
: a 2-pronged metal implement that gives a fixed tone when struck
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Encyclopedia

tuning fork

narrow, two-pronged steel bar that when tuned to a specific musical pitch retains its tuning almost indefinitely. It was apparently invented by George Frideric Handel's trumpeter John Shore shortly before Shore's death in 1752.

Learn more about tuning fork with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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