wishbone

English

Wishbone of a chicken

Etymology

From wish +‎ bone.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɪʃˌboʊn/
• Hyphenation: wish‧bone

Noun

wishbone (plural wishbones)

1. A forked bone between the neck and breast of a bird consisting chiefly of the two clavicles fused at their median or lower end, regarded as a lucky charm in some countries.
2. (nautical) A spar in two parts, between which a sail is hoisted, the wishbone extending its clew.
3. (nautical) Any sailing vessel rigged with a wishbone.
4. (American football) A particular kind of offensive formation. See wishbone formation.

   Synonym: bone

5. (automotive) A suspension component similar in shape to a chicken wishbone.

Synonyms

• (forked bone of a bird): furcula, merrythought, wishing bone

Derived terms

• wishbone bush
• wishbone flower
• wishboning

Translations

bird's bone

• Armenian: յատեզ (yatez)
• Bulgarian: ядец m (jadec)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 叉骨 (chāgǔ), 如願骨 / 如愿骨 (rúyuàngǔ)

• Chuvash: йӗтес (jĕt̬es)
• Dutch: vorkbeen (nl) n
• Esperanto: forketo
• Finnish: toivomusluu (fi), hankaluu (fi)
• French: fourchette (fr) f, (rare) lunette (fr) f
• German: Gabelbein n
• Greek: γιάντες (el) n (giántes)
• Hungarian: villacsont (hu)
• Italian: forcella (it) f, forchetta (it) f
• Japanese: 叉骨 (ja) (さこつ, sakotsu)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Macedonian: јадец m (jadec)
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Nepali: please add this translation if you can
• Ottoman Turkish: اوچرجاق (uçurcak)
• Polish: widełki (pl) f pl
• Portuguese: fúrcula f, ossinho da sorte m
• Romanian: iadeș (ro) n
• Russian: ду́жка (ru) f (dúžka), ви́лочка (ru) f (víločka)
• Scots: fortuin bane, thochtbane
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јадац m, ломилица f

  Roman: jadac (sh) m, lomilica (sh) f

• Spanish: espoleta f
• Swedish: gaffelben (sv) n, önskeben n
• Tatar: ядәч (tt) (yadäç)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Ukrainian: ви́лочка f (výločka)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: asgwrn tynnu m
• White Hmong: please add this translation if you can
• Zhuang: please add this translation if you can

spar

• Finnish: haarukkavipu
• French: wishbone (fr) m

Verb

wishbone (third-person singular simple present wishbones, present participle wishboning, simple past and past participle wishboned)

1. (transitive) To form into a wishbone-like shape; to fork.

French

Noun

wishbone m (plural wishbones)

1. (nautical) wishbone