Tong - Wiktionary

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tong"

English

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Pronunciation

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• (UK) IPA(key): /tɒŋ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA(key): /tɔŋ/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /tɑŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɒŋ
• Homophone: tongue (some Northern English accents)

Etymology 1

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From Middle English tonge (“tongs, fang”), tange, from Old English tange, from Proto-West Germanic *tangu, from Proto-Germanic *tangō, from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”). Cognate with Old Norse tǫng (modern Icelandic töng), Old High German zanga (modern German Zange). Other cognates include Sanskrit दशति (dáśati, “to bite”) and Albanian dang (“bite, nip”).

Noun

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tong (plural tongs)

1. (mostly plural) An instrument or tool used for manipulating things in a fire without touching them with the hands.
   • 1998, Alberdina Houtman, Marcel Poorthuis, Joshua Schwartz, editors, Sanctity of time and space in tradition and modernity, page 232:[…] these attributes are concrete expressions of God's care and providence and therefore not man-made. This explains the quite bizarre presence of a ‘pair’ of tongs in some lists: in order to make a tong one needs a tong, and how could the first tong be made without a tong?

Derived terms

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• pipe tong
• tonging
• port tong
• tooth and tong

Translations

[edit] tool

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Armenian: ունելի (hy) (uneli), աքցան (hy) (akʻcʻan) Bhojpuri: चिमटा (cimᵊṭā) Chinese: Mandarin: 鉗子 / 钳子 (zh) (qiánzi), 夾具 / 夹具 (zh) (jiājù), 鋏子 / 铗子 (zh) (jiāzi), 夹子 (zh) (jiāzi, jiázi) Czech: kleště (cs) f pl Dutch: tang (nl) m Finnish: pihdit (fi) pl French: pince (fr) f Galician: tenaces f pl German: Greifzange f Hindi: चिमटा (hi) m (cimṭā) Hungarian: fogó (hu) Italian: pinza (it) f, tenaglia (it) f, molla (it) f Japanese: トング(tongu) Korean: please add this translation if you can Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: kêlbetan (ku) m Macedonian: маша f (maša) Middle English: tonge Ottoman Turkish: ماشه (maşa) Polish: obcęgi (pl) nvir pl Portuguese: tenaz (pt) f Romanian: clește (ro) m Russian: ками́нные щипцы́ m pl (kamínnyje ščipcý) Spanish: tenaza (es) f Swedish: tång (sv) c, eldtång c Thai: คีม (th) (kiim) Turkish: maşa (tr) Vietnamese: kìm (vi), kẹp (vi)

Verb

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tong (third-person singular simple present tongs, present participle tonging, simple past and past participle tonged)

1. (intransitive) To use tongs.
2. (transitive) To grab, manipulate or transport something using tongs.

Translations

[edit] to use tongs

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Armenian: ունելի օգտագործել (uneli ōgtagorcel), աքցան օգտագործել (akʻcʻan ōgtagorcel) Chinese: Mandarin: 鉗起 / 钳起, 夾起 / 夹起 Czech: please add this translation if you can French: pincer (fr) German: mit einer Zange halten Hindi: please add this translation if you can Italian: pinzare, attanagliare (it) Japanese: please add this translation if you can Korean: please add this translation if you can Polish: używać obcęgów impf, użyć obcęgów pf Portuguese: atazanar (pt), atanazar (pt), atenazar (pt) Russian: испо́льзовать щипцы́ (ispólʹzovatʹ ščipcý) Spanish: usar tenaza Vietnamese: dùng kìm, dùng kẹp

to grab, manipulate or transport something using tongs

Arabic: please add this translation if you can Armenian: ունելիով վերցնել (uneliov vercʻnel), աքցանով վերցնել (akʻcʻanov vercʻnel) Chinese: Mandarin: 钳起 Czech: please add this translation if you can French: pincer (fr) German: mit einer Zange greifen Hindi: please add this translation if you can Italian: afferrare (it), attanagliare (it), abbrancare (it), aggranfiare Japanese: please add this translation if you can Korean: please add this translation if you can Polish: łapać obcęgami impf, złapać obcęgami pf Portuguese: atazanar (pt), atanazar (pt), atenazar (pt) Russian: захвати́ть щипца́ми (zaxvatítʹ ščipcámi) Spanish: usar tenaza Vietnamese: kẹp (vi)

See also

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• tongs

Etymology 2

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From Cantonese 堂 (tong4).

Noun

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tong (plural tongs)

1. A Chinese lineage organization responsible for managing ancestral land.
   • 1995, Legislative Council of Hong Kong, “Block Crown Lease (Cheung Chau) Ordinance”, in Hong Kong Government Gazette‎[1], page A2772:An Ordinance to provide for the termination of the Block Crown Lease of Cheung Chau granted to Wong Wai Tsak Tong and for sub-lessees under the Block Crown Lease to hold directly from the Crown.
2. A Chinese secret society or gang.

Derived terms

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• tong war

Translations

[edit] secret society

Chinese: Cantonese: 堂 (tong4) Mandarin: 幫會 / 帮会 (zh) (bānghuì), 堂 (zh) (táng) French: tong (fr) m German: Tong f Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: tong (ku) f Polish: tong (pl) m

See also

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• triad
• yakuza

Etymology 3

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Noun

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tong (plural tongs)

1. Obsolete spelling of tongue.
   • 1570, Roger Ascham, The Scholemaster:Or plaine and perfite way of teachyng children, to vnderstand, write, and speake, the Latin tong, but specially purposed for the priuate brynging vp of youth in Ientlemen and Noble mens houses, and commodious also for all such, as haue forgot the Latin tonge, and would, by themselues, without a Scholemaster, in short tyme, and with small paines, recouer a sufficient habilitie, to vnderstand, write, and speake Latin.

See also

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• tong doc
• tong fai
• tong lau

Afrikaans

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Afrikaans Wikipedia has an article on:tongWikipedia af

Etymology

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From Dutch tong, from Middle Dutch tonge, from Old Dutch tunga, from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s.

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /tɔŋ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

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tong (plural tonge)

1. tongue

Derived terms

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• biltong
• tongvis

Betawi

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Alternative forms

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• entong

Etymology

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• Vocative clipping of kontong, a minced oath variant of kontol (“penis”), from Javanese ꦏꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦛꦺꦴꦭ꧀ (konthol, “penis”). Compare Javanese ꦛꦺꦴꦭꦺ (tholé, “boy”), from ꦏꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦛꦺꦴꦭꦺ (kontholé, “the penis”).
• From Hokkien 童 (tâng/tông). Clipping of Hokkien 兒童／儿童 (jî-tông).

Noun

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tong

1. term of address for little boys
   • 2008 [1931], Kho Wan Gie, Put On [The Anxious One], Jakarta: Pustaka Klasik, page 14:SI TONG PUNJA DUIT LU LIAT?[Si Tong punya duit lu liat?]Did you see the boy's money?

Descendants

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• → Indonesian: tong

Chuukese

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Noun

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tong

1. love

Dutch

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Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:tongWikipedia nl

Etymology

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From Middle Dutch tonge, from Old Dutch tunga, from Proto-West Germanic *tungā, from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s. The sense "Solea solea" likely refers to these flat fish' resemblance to a tongue.

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /tɔŋ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tong
• Rhymes: -ɔŋ

Noun

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tong f (plural tongen, diminutive tongetje n)

1. tongue

Derived terms

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• addertong
• het achterste van zijn tong laten zien
• ossentong
• roltong
• tongbeen
• tongelen
• tongen
• tongloos
• tongpiercing
• tongspier
• tongvaren
• vuurtong

Descendants

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• Afrikaans: tong
• Negerhollands: tong, toṅ, tung
  • → Virgin Islands Creole: ton (dated)
• Skepi Creole Dutch: tunk
• →? Sranan Tongo: tongo
  • → Aukan: tongo
  • → Kwinti: tongo
  • → Saramaccan: tongò

Noun

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tong m (plural tongen, diminutive tongetje n)

1. sole (Solea solea) Synonym: zeetong

Derived terms

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• zeetong

French

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Etymology

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From Australian English thong.

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /tɔ̃ɡ/

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

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tong f (plural tongs)

1. flip-flop, thong Synonyms: (informal) clic-clac, (Canada, informal) gougonne, (Belgium, Africa) slache, (West Africa) tapette, claquette

Hokkien

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For pronunciation and definitions of tong – see 東 (“east; host; etc.”).(This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 東).

Indonesian

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Pronunciation

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• (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈtɔŋ/ [ˈt̪oŋ]
• Syllabification: tong

Etymology 1

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From Malay tong, from Hokkien 桶 (thóng).

Noun

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tong (plural tong-tong)

1. barrel Synonym: tahang

Derived terms

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• tong penyamak
• tong setan

Etymology 2

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Onomatopoeic.

Noun

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tong

1. sound of a gong, kentungan

Etymology 3

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From Betawi tong (“boy”):

• from Betawi kontong, kontol, from Javanese ꦏꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦛꦺꦴꦭ꧀ (konthol, “penis”).
• from Hokkien 童 (tâng/tông). Clipping of Hokkien 兒童／儿童 (jî-tông).

Noun

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tong

1. (dialect, Jakarta) term of address for little boys

Alternative forms

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• entong

Further reading

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• “tong”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Malay

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Pronunciation

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• Rhymes: -oŋ

Etymology 1

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From Chinese 桶. Related to tahang.

Noun

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tong (plural tong-tong or tong2)

1. barrel, tub, bin

Descendants

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• Indonesian: tong

Etymology 2

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From Dutch ton.

Noun

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tong (plural tong-tong or tong2)

1. ton

Mandarin

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Romanization

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tong

1. nonstandard spelling of tōng
2. nonstandard spelling of tóng
3. nonstandard spelling of tǒng
4. nonstandard spelling of tòng

Usage notes

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• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English

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Noun

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tong

1. alternative form of tonge (“tongue”)

North Moluccan Malay

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Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /tɔŋ/

Etymology 1

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From torang.

Pronoun

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tong

1. short for torang

Etymology 2

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From Malay tong or Indonesian tong, from Hokkien 桶 (thóng).

Noun

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tong

1. barrel (a round vessel made from staves bound with a hoop)

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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From Old Norse tǫng.

Noun

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tong f (definite singular tonga, indefinite plural tenger, definite plural tengene)

1. (a pair of) pliers, pincers

Derived terms

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• eldtong
• knipetong
• smietong

See also

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• tang (Bokmål)

References

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• “tong” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Sora

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Etymology

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Cognate with Santali dōŋ (“a dance connected with marriage”) and Mon ဒံၚ် (tòŋ, “to dance while under daemonic possession; to proceed by leaps”).

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /toŋ/

Verb

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tong

1. to dance.

Derived terms

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• tongdi ("to spin yarn")
• tongdin ("spinning wheel")
• tongdinlangan ("a spindle")
• tongdor ("to spin")
• tongseng ("to dance in company")

References

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• Ramamurti, R. S. (1933). Sora–English Dictionary. Delhi: Mittal Publication.

Tagalog

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Pronunciation

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• (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˈtoŋ/ [ˈt̪oŋ]
• Rhymes: -oŋ
• Syllabification: tong

Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Hokkien, possibly either:

• 當 / 当 (tong, “to bear; to take responsibility; to match equally”) as recorded in Barclay (1923) in Douglas (1873), where "the person who supplies a private gambling party with room, cards, and food, (customarily) receives a percentage of the winnings" as per Barclay (1923).
• 東 / 东 (tong, “host”, literally “east”) according to Manuel (1948) as in 做東 / 做东 (chòe-tong / chò-tong, “to act as a host”) or 作東 / 作东 (chok-tong) as recorded in Douglas (1873), because it was customary in China for the host to sit on the east side of the room or table when receiving a guest, who usually stays on the west side, as per Manuel (1948).

Chan-Yap (1980) also records a ⟨“tôŋ”⟩ (POJ: tong), which she described as 'percentage cut of a gambling taken from winners', though she was not clear on which term in Hokkien that she meant by this. Compare Ilocano tong (“bribe money”), agtong (“to give bribe money”).

Noun

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tong (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜓᜅ᜔) (colloquial)

1. (gambling) percentage cut or commission of the winnings taken from the winner/s for the banker/dealer or owner of the gambling house Synonyms: kulas, sapinto, hulog
2. (slang) bribe Synonyms: suhol, lagay, pabagsak, parating
3. (slang) money

Related terms

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• kotong

See also

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• tong-its
• pong
• kang
• huweteng
• kuwaho

Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Hokkien 黨 / 党 (tóng, “faction; club; cabal”), as recorded in Douglas (1873). Compare English tong.

Noun

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tong (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜓᜅ᜔) (colloquial)

1. association; political party; secret society

References

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• “tong”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “tong”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018.
• Zorc, R. David; San Miguel, Rachel (1993), Tagalog Slang Dictionary, Manila: De La Salle University Press, →ISBN, page 144
• Chan-Yap, Gloria (1980), “Hokkien Chinese borrowings in Tagalog”, in Pacific Linguistics, volume B, number 71 (PDF), Canberra, A.C.T. 2600.: The Australian National University, page 146
• Santos, Vito C. (1978), Vicassan's Pilipino-English Dictionary, Revised edition (overall work in Tagalog and English), With an Introduction by Teodoro A. Agoncillo, Metro Manila: National Book Store, →ISBN, page 2521
• Panganiban, José Villa (1973), Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles (overall work in Tagalog and English), Quezon City: Manlapaz Publishing Co., page 984
• Manuel, E. Arsenio (1948), Chinese elements in the Tagalog language: with some indication of Chinese influence on other Philippine languages and cultures and an excursion into Austronesian linguistics, Manila: Filipiniana Publications, page 65
• Barclay, Thomas (1923), “當 tong”, in Supplement to Dictionary of the Amoy Colloquial Language (overall work in Hokkien and English), Shanghai: The Commercial Press, Limited, page 239
• Douglas, Carstairs (1873), “tsok-tong”, in Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy, With the Principal Variations of the Chang-chew and Chin-chew Dialects. (overall work in Hokkien and English), London: Trübner & Co., page 527; New Edition, With Corrections by the Author., Thomas Barclay, Lîm Iàn-sîn 林燕臣, London: Publishing Office of the Presbyterian Church of England, 1899, page 527
• Douglas, Carstairs (1873), “tóng”, in Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy, With the Principal Variations of the Chang-chew and Chin-chew Dialects. (overall work in Hokkien and English), London: Trübner & Co., page 528; New Edition, With Corrections by the Author., Thomas Barclay, Lîm Iàn-sîn 林燕臣, London: Publishing Office of the Presbyterian Church of England, 1899, page 528

Uzbek

[edit] Other scripts

Arabic (Yangi Imlo)
Cyrillic	тонг‍
Latin	tong‍
Afghan Uzbek

Etymology

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From Proto-Turkic *taŋ.

Noun

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tong (plural tonglar)

1. dawn, daybreak

Declension

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This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Vietnamese

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Etymology

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This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Đại Nam quấc âm tự vị only glosses tong as an adjective (> tong teo) but there's the gloss "Nước chảy trôi đi hết, nước chảy tong" for another entry.”

Pronunciation

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• (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [tawŋ͡m˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA(key): [tawŋ͡m˧˧] ~ [tɔŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA(key): [tawŋ͡m˧˧]

Adjective

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tong • (宗)

1. done for, screwed mất tong một buổi chiều mà chẳng tiến triển gì ― an afternoon wasted without any significant progress
   • 2001, Chu Lai, Cuộc đời dài lắm, NXB Văn học, page 199:Mưa. Thế là lại đi tong một ngày mủ vì mưa nữa rồi!Rain. So yet another day's worth of latex gone to waste because of the rain!