I. ˈtaŋ, -aiŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English tang, tange, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse tangi point, spit of land, tang of a knife; perhaps akin to Old Norse tunga tongue — more at tongue
1.
a. dialect
(1) : a serpent's tongue
(2) : sting , pang
b. Scot & dialect England : something having a sharp projecting point: as
(1) : a tine of a stag's horn
(2) : a prong of a fork
(3) : a buckle tongue
(4) : the tongue of a Jew's harp
2.
a. : a piece that forms an extension from the blade or analogous part of an instrument (as a table knife or fork, file, chisel, or sword) and connects with the handle and that may be a thin flat plate on each side of which a rounded piece is secured to form the handle or that may be a tapered piece inserted into the haft or handle — see file illustration
b. : a butt and stem of a prehistoric arrowhead made to fit into a shaft
c. : the strip or plate sometimes extending from the receiver or frame of a firearm by which it is secured to the stock
3.
a.
(1) : a sharp distinctive flavor that lingers on the tongue : a taste of something extraneous to the thing itself that may produce an unpleasant response
a cheese with the tang of garlic
cider with the tang of the cask
meals … retain the unmistakable tang of country cooking — American Guide Series: Ind.
(2) : a particularly pungent odor
the tang of peat fires — Holiday
an afternoon full of … the tang of mown grass — J.C.Trewin
b. : something having the effect of a sharp taste in the mouth or a pungent odor
treated murder as a joke with a tang to it — Graham Greene
her prose is a cidery flowing of sweetness and tang — Charles Lee
4.
a. : a faint suggestion : noticeable trace : smattering — usually used with of
kindness is seasoned with the tang of humor — Elliott Dobson
will find himself getting a tang of enjoyment out of it — S.C.Pepper
b. : a distinguishing characteristic that sets apart or gives a special individuality
nothing in contemporary England quite to match … the American tang — Howard M. Jones
give the place a definite grass-roots tang — D.F.Malcolm
5. : surgeonfish
6. Scot & dialect England : a low projecting cape or narrow strip of land
7. : jet 3
8. : a ship's mast fitting to which stays and shrouds are attached
9. : a diamond cutter's stand for holding the dop in constant position with reference to the surface of the skeif so as to cut and polish the stone
Synonyms: see taste
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English tangen, from tang, tange, n.
1. dialect England : sting
2. : to furnish with a tang
3. : to affect with or as if with a tang
evergreen forests tanged with salt air — American Guide Series: Oregon
breeze blows … tanged with flowers — Amy Lowell
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish & Norwegian tang seaweed, Old Norse thang kelp, tangleweed
: any of various large coarse seaweeds ; especially : a rockweed of the genus Fucus — compare bladder wrack 1; see prickly tang
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: imitative
transitive verb
1. : to cause to ring or sound loudly
tanging the spoon on the shovel — Flora Thompson
2. : to utter with a tang
let thy tongue tang arguments of state — Shakespeare
intransitive verb
: to make a harsh ringing sound
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: imitative
: a sharp twanging sound (as of a single stroke on metal or of the plucking of a string) : twang
VI. ˈtäŋ adjective
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Tang, T'ang, Chin. dynasty (A.D. 618-907), from Chinese (Pekingese) t'ang 2
: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of the period of the Tang dynasty and especially of the art forms developed during that period
Tang pottery