A large fork with a long handle used for moving hay or grain; or to thrust or toss something with a pitchfork.
From 'pitch' (possibly from Old English 'pic' meaning to thrust) combined with 'fork.' The compound word emerged in the 15th century as a practical agricultural tool. 'Pitch' itself may relate to the idea of thrusting or pushing.
The pitchfork has become symbolically charged in Western culture—it's the iconic weapon of angry peasant mobs in historical narratives and popular media, so thoroughly associated with rural rebellion that it's become a shorthand for revolutionary anger in art and literature.
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