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Gong - 6 dictionary results
gong
[gawng, gong] 
–noun
| 1. | a large bronze disk, of Asian origin, having an upturned rim, that produces a vibrant, hollow tone when struck, usually with a stick or hammer that has a padded head. |
| 2. | a shallow bell sounded by a hammer operated electrically or mechanically: The fire-alarm system will automatically sound the gong. |
| 3. | (in a clock or watch) a rod or wire, either straight or bent into a spiral, on which the time is struck. |
| 4. | British Slang. a medal or military decoration. |
–verb (used without object)
| 5. | to sound as a gong does; ring, chime, or reverberate. |
Origin:
1800–10; < Malay, Javanese: any suspended bossed and rimmed gong; presumably imit.
1800–10; < Malay, Javanese: any suspended bossed and rimmed gong; presumably imit.
Related forms:
gonglike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To Gong
| gong (gông, gŏng) n.
To make the sound of a gong. [Malay.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Gong
Gong\, n. [AS. gong, gang, a going, passage, drain. See Gang.] A privy or jakes. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Gong farmer, Gong man, a cleaner of privies. [Obs.]Gong
Gong\, n. 1. [Malayan (Jav.) g[=o]ng.] An instrument, first used in the East, made of an alloy of copper and tin, shaped like a disk with upturned rim, and producing, when struck, a harsh and resounding noise. O'er distant deserts sounds the Tartar gong. --Longfellow. 2. (Mach.) A flat saucerlike bell, rung by striking it with a small hammer which is connected with it by various mechanical devices; a stationary bell, used to sound calls or alarms; -- called also gong bell. Gong metal, an alloy (78 parts of copper, 22 of tin), from which Oriental gongs are made.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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gong
c.1600, from Malay gong, probably imitative of its sound when struck.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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gong
a circular metal plate-like percussion instrument, usually having a turned-down rim. In most forms it is struck in the centre with a felt- or leather-covered beater, producing a sound of either definite or indefinite pitch. Its vibrations issue from the centre, in contrast to bells, which vibrate principally at the rim. Gongs may have shallow or deep rims (kettle gongs) and may be bossed (knobbed in the centre) or unbossed. Rimless gongs occur occasionally.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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