Hook

A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's design allows traction forces to be relayed through the curved/indented portion to and from the proximal end of the hook, which is either a straight shaft (known as the hook's shank) or a ring (sometimes called the hook's "eye") for attachment to a thread, rope or chain, providing a reversible attachment between two objects.

In many cases, the distal end of the hook is sharply pointed to enable penetration into the target material, providing a firmer anchorage. Some hooks, particularly fish hooks, also have a barb, a backwards-pointed projection near the pointed end that functions as a secondary "mini-hook" to catch and trap surrounding material, ensuring that the hook point cannot be easily pulled back out once embedded in the target.

## Variations

* Bagging hook, a large sickle or reaping hook used for harvesting grain[1][2]
* Bondage hook, used in sexual bondage play
* Cabin hook, a hooked bar that engages into an eye screw, used on doors[3][4]
* Cap hook, hat ornament of the 15th and 16th centuries
* Cargo hook, different types of hook systems for helicopters
* Clothes hook or "coat hook", hooks for storing garments, typically mounted on walls or vertical surfaces
* Crochet hook, used for crocheting thread or yarn
* Drapery hook, for hanging drapery
* Dress hook, fashion accessory
* Ear hook, to attach earrings
* Fish hook, used to catch fish
* Flesh-hook, used in cooking meat
* Grappling hook, a hook attached to a rope, designed to be thrown and snagged on a target
* Hook and chain coupler, mechanical part for the coupling for railway vehicles
* Hook (hand tool), also known as "longshoreman's hook" or "bale hook", a tool used for securing and moving cargo
* Hook-and-eye closure, a clothing fastener
* Hook-and-loop fastener, a type of textile fastener
* Hook hand, also called prosthesis, an artificial hand replacement made from a hook
* Lifting hook, for grabbing and lifting loads
* Mail hook, for grabbing mail bags without stopping a train
* Meat hook, for hanging up meat or carcasses of animals in butcheries and meat industry
* Prosthetic hook or transradial prosthesis, part of a prosthetic arm for amputees
* Purse hook, used to keep a woman's purse from touching the floor
* Shaker peg, used to hang up garments, bags, chairs, etc on a vertical surface
* Shepherd's hook, a staff used in herding sheep or other animals
* Siege hook, an Ancient Roman weapon used to pull stones from a wall during a siege
* Snook hook, a surgical tool used for the spaying of female animals[5]
* Tailhook, used by aircraft to snag cables in order to slow down more quickly

## Gallery

* A cabin hook used as a latch for a wooden gate

* Fish hooks are pointed and often barbed to help catch and tether a fish's mouth

* The main anchor of IJN battleship Hiei with the classic double-hook design

* Clothes hangers with a top hook to hang onto a crossbar or a clothesline

* Installation of a Shaker peg

Installation of a Shaker peg

* A grappling hook with multiple hooks to increase the chances of catching and anchoring onto a surface or an object

* A crochet hook with a deep hooking groove near the tip, used to pull yarns during embroidery

A crochet hook with a deep hooking groove near the tip, used to pull yarns during embroidery

* A hook-and-eye clasp is composed of two pieces that are sewn to clothing, one of which serves as a hook while the other as a staple

* Golden pothook pictured in the coat of arms of Jäppilä

## References

1. ↑ Unger-Hamilton, Romana (July 1985). "Microscopic Striations on Flint Sickle-Blades as an Indication of Plant Cultivation: Preliminary Results". World Archaeology 17 (1): 121–6. doi:10.1080/00438243.1985.9979955.
2. ↑ Banning, E.B. (1998). "The Neolithic Period: Triumphs of Architecture, Agriculture, and Art". Near Eastern Archaeology 61 (4): 188–237. doi:10.2307/3210656.
3. ↑ Beazley, Elisabeth (1990). Beazley's Design and Detail of the Space Between Buildings. Taylor & Francis. pp. 230. ISBN 978-0-419-13620-0.
4. ↑ Porter, Brian; Christopher Tooke (2007). Carpentry and Joinery 3. Butterworth-Heinemann. pp. 200. ISBN 978-0-7506-6505-6.
5. ↑ Spay/Neuter Surgery: Spay Hook Use. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2026-03-22 - via YouTube.

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