different between prong vs channel

English

Etymology

From Middle English pronge, perhaps from Middle Low German prange (“stick, restraining device”), from prangen (“to press, pinch”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preng- (“to wrap up, constrict”), akin to Lithuanian springstù (“to choke, become choked or obstructed”), Latvian sprañgât (“cord, constrict”), Ancient Greek ????????? (sparganó?, “to swaddle”), ????????? (spárganon, “swaddling cloth”). See also prank, prance, prink.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p???/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p???/
• Rhymes: -??

Noun

prong (plural prongs)

1. A thin, pointed, projecting part, as of an antler or a fork or similar tool. A tine.

   a pitchfork with four prongs

2. A branch; a fork.

   the two prongs of a river

3. (colloquial) The penis.
   • 2008, Andy Zaltzman on The Bugle podcast, episode 34, You Will Know Us By Our Knobbly Fruit.

     Hang on... That looks like... No, it can't be. Is that my wang!? Micky Paintbrush, have you painted my papal prong on that nudy man!?

Derived terms

• pronghorn

Translations

See also

• tine
• tooth

Verb

prong (third-person singular simple present prongs, present participle pronging, simple past and past participle pronged)

1. To pierce or poke with, or as if with, a prong.

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t?æn?l/
• Hyphenation: chan?nel
• Rhymes: -æn?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English chanel (also as canel, cannel, kanel), a borrowing from Old French chanel, canel, from Latin can?lis (“groove; canal; channel”). Doublet of canal.

Noun

channel (plural channels)

1. The physical confine of a river or slough, consisting of a bed and banks.

   The water coming out of the waterwheel created a standing wave in the channel.

2. The natural or man-made deeper course through a reef, bar, bay, or any shallow body of water.

   A channel was dredged to allow ocean-going vessels to reach the city.

3. The navigable part of a river.

   We were careful to keep our boat in the channel.

4. A narrow body of water between two land masses.

   The English Channel lies between France and England.
5. Something through which another thing passes; a means of conveying or transmitting.

   The news was conveyed to us by different channels.

   • 1859, John Call Dalton, A Treatise on Human Physiology

     The veins are converging channels.

   • 1790, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France

     At best, he is but a channel to convey to the National Assembly such matter as may import that body to know.

6. A gutter; a groove, as in a fluted column.
7. (electronics) A connection between initiating and terminating nodes of a circuit.

   The guard-rail provided the channel between the downed wire and the tree.

8. (electronics) The narrow conducting portion of a MOSFET transistor.
9. (communication) The part that connects a data source to a data sink.

   A channel stretches between them.

10. (communication) A path for conveying electrical or electromagnetic signals, usually distinguished from other parallel paths.

    We are using one of the 24 channels.

11. (communication) A single path provided by a transmission medium via physical separation, such as by multipair cable.

    The channel is created by bonding the signals from these four pairs.

12. (communication) A single path provided by a transmission medium via spectral or protocol separation, such as by frequency or time-division multiplexing.

    Their call is being carried on channel 6 of the T-1 line.

13. (broadcasting) A specific radio frequency or band of frequencies, usually in conjunction with a predetermined letter, number, or codeword, and allocated by international agreement.

    KNDD is the channel at 107.7 MHz in Seattle.

14. (broadcasting) A specific radio frequency or band of frequencies used for transmitting television.

    NBC is on channel 11 in San Jose.

    • 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xi

      TV back then was five channels (three networks, PBS, and an independent station that ran I Love Lucy reruns), […]

15. (storage) The portion of a storage medium, such as a track or a band, that is accessible to a given reading or writing station or head.

    This chip in this disk drive is the channel device.

16. (technic) The way in a turbine pump where the pressure is built up.

    The liquid is pressurized in the lateral channel.

17. (business, marketing) A distribution channel
18. (Internet) A particular area for conversations on an IRC network, analogous to a chat room and often dedicated to a specific topic.
19. (Internet, historical) A means of delivering up-to-date Internet content.
    • 1999, Jeffrey S Rule, Dynamic HTML: The HTML Developer's Guide

      Netcaster is the "receiver" for channels that are built into Netscape 4.01 and later releases.
20. A psychic or medium who temporarily takes on the personality of somebody else.

Synonyms

• (narrow body of water between two land masses) passage, sound, strait
• (for television) side (dated British, from when there were only two channels), station (US)
• (groove, as in a fluted column) groove, gutter

Derived terms

Related terms

• canal

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ????? (channeru)
• ? Korean: ?? (chaeneol)
• ? Welsh: sianel

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English chanelen, from the noun (see above).

Verb

channel (third-person singular simple present channels, present participle channeling or channelling, simple past and past participle channelled or channeled)

1. (transitive) To make or cut a channel or groove in.
2. (transitive) To direct or guide along a desired course.

   We will channel the traffic to the left with these cones.

3. (transitive, of a spirit, as of a dead person) To serve as a medium for.

   She was channeling the spirit of her late husband, Seth.

4. (transitive) To follow as a model, especially in a performance.

   He was trying to channel President Reagan, but the audience wasn't buying it.

   When it is my turn to sing karaoke, I am going to channel Ray Charles.

Derived terms

• backchannel

Translations

Etymology 3

From a corruption of chainwale.

Noun

channel (plural channels)

1. (nautical) The wale of a sailing ship which projects beyond the gunwale and to which the shrouds attach via the chains. One of the flat ledges of heavy plank bolted edgewise to the outside of a vessel, to increase the spread of the shrouds and carry them clear of the bulwarks.

References

• channel at OneLook Dictionary Search