tong

CEFRB2

/tɒŋ/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A pair of tools used for holding or lifting something.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    To grab, manipulate or transport something using tongs.

Examples

  • He was speaking in his native tongue.

  • The chef used a metal tong to turn the steak on the grill.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To use tongs.

  2. An instrument or tool used for manipulating things in a fire without touching them with the hands.

  3. A Chinese lineage organization responsible for managing ancestral land.

More examples

In context

  • cold tongue with mustard

  • 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.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The chef used a metal blank to pick up the hot pan from the stove.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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”).