fork

n 1: fork used for serving and eating

2: the act of branching out or dividing into branches [syn: {branching},

{ramification}, {forking}]

3: a part of a forked or branching shape; "he broke off one of

the branches"; "they took the south fork" [syn: {branch},

{leg}]

4: an agricultural tool used for lifting or digging; has a

handle and metal prongs

5: the angle formed by the inner sides of the legs where they

join the human trunk [syn: {crotch}]

v 1: lift with a pitchfork; "pitchfork hay" [syn: {pitchfork}]

2: place under attack with one's own pieces, of two enemy chess

pieces

3: divide into two or more branches; "The road forks" [syn: {branch},

{ramify}, {separate}]

4: shape like a fork: "She forked her fingers"

fork

A {Unix} {system call} used by a {process}

(the "parent") to make a copy (the "child") of itself. The

child process is identical to the parent except it has a

different {process identifier} and a zero return value from

the fork call. It is assumed to have used no resources.

A fork followed by an {exec} can be used to start a different

process but this can be inefficient and some later Unix

variants provide {vfork} as an alternative mechanism for this.

See also {fork bomb}.

(1996-12-08)