Corkscrew

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɔːk.skɹuː/

Definitions

1. A device intended for removing corks from various container types features a twisting, spiral mechanism that allows for efficient extraction and is often associated with helical movement
2. An instrument with a helical metal shaft designed to penetrate and pull cork stoppers from bottles, often featuring a handle for twisting
3. A handheld tool with a spiral metal shaft used to extract corks from bottles ; a shape or object characterized by a twisting, helical form resembling a spiral

Etymology: The corkscrew is a plain compound: "cork" joined to "screw," and the two parts have very different histories. "Cork" traces back through Middle English and Middle Dutch "curc" to the Latin "cortex," meaning bark, and it reached Spanish as "corcho" by way of a Mozarabic form, so the stopper is named for the bark of the cork oak. "Screw" has a separate path: it passed through Old French "escrue," probably from Latin "scrofa," a sow, and it entered Middle English as "scrue." Its original sense was a female pig, with the spiral sense of the tool developing later. Put together, the tool name is simply the bark-stopper's removal device, a spiral "screw" pulling out a cork. The compound works as both noun and verb, and that double use follows naturally from the two plain parts.

Synonyms: twist, spiral