I. ˈtäŋ, ˈtȯŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English tonge, alteration of tange tang
1. dialect : tang
2. dialect : tine
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: imitative
transitive verb
dialect : to cause (a bell) to give out a deep resonant tone
intransitive verb
dialect : to give out a deep resonant tone
III. noun
( -s )
dialect : a deep sound given out by a large bell
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: from singular of tongs
: tongs
V. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: tongs
transitive verb
: to take, gather, hold, or handle with tongs
tong oysters
tong logs
— often used with up
intransitive verb
: to use tongs : take or gather something with tongs
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Chinese (Cant) t'ong hall, meeting place
: a secret society or fraternal organization especially among the Chinese in the United States formerly notorious for gang warfare and popularly associated with racketeering, gambling, and traffic in narcotics
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Afrikaans, tongue, flatfish, from Middle Dutch tonge, tong; akin to Old English tunge tongue — more at tongue
: a large commercially important southern African flatfish ( Australoglossus pectoralis ) much depleted by overfishing ; also : a closely related fish ( A. microlepis ) distinguished by its minute scales