A pitchfork is a long-handled farming tool with two or more sharp metal prongs, or tines, used for lifting and moving loose material like hay, straw, or manure. The prongs are spaced apart like fingers, making it easy to scoop up and carry hay without it sliding off.

For thousands of years, farmers relied on pitchforks to feed livestock, spread mulch, and turn compost piles. Before machines like tractors and hay balers, a farmer might spend hours using a pitchfork to load dried hay onto a wagon. The long handle gives leverage, letting you lift heavy loads without bending over constantly.

Today, you're more likely to see pitchforks in gardens, stables, or small farms than on large commercial farms, where machines handle most of the work. But a pitchfork remains useful anywhere people keep animals or work with loose, bulky materials.

In old stories and movies, angry villagers sometimes carry pitchforks when they form a mob, which has made the pitchfork a symbol of peasant uprisings or rural protest. In reality, it's simply a practical tool that helped farmers do hard physical work more efficiently.