1. A small steel instrument (invented in 1711 by John Shore) consisting of a stem with two stout flat prongs which on being caused to vibrate produce a definite musical note of constant pitch, thus serving as a standard for tuning musical instruments and in acoustical investigations, etc.
1799. Young, in Phil. Trans., XC. 134. The fundamental note was found to be one-sixth of a tone higher than the respective octave of a tuning-fork marked C.
1862. Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit., II. No. 3403. Chromatic tuning-forks.
1878. G. B. Prescott, Sp. Telephone (1879), 51. Vibrating a tuning fork in front of the mouth.
2. An instrument used for turning the pins in tuning a pianoforte.
1877. in Knight, Dict. Mech.
