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tongs
7 dictionary results for: tongs
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
tongs 
[tawngz, tongz] Pronunciation Key,
[tawngz, tongz] Pronunciation Key, –noun (usually used with a plural verb)
) | any of various implements consisting of two arms hinged, pivoted, or otherwise fastened together, for seizing, holding, or lifting something (usually used with pair of). |
[Origin: see tong1]
]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| tong 1
(tông, tŏng) Pronunciation Key
tr.v. tonged, tong·ing, tongs To seize, hold, or manipulate with tongs. [Back-formation from tongs.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| tong 2
(tông, tŏng) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Chinese (Cantonese) t'ōng, assembly hall, familial relationship between cousins, equivalent to Chinese (Mandarin) táng.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
tongs
(tôngz, tŏngz) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) pl.n. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A grasping device consisting of two arms that are joined, often at one end, as by a pivot or a scissorlike hinge. [Middle English tonges, pl. of tonge, from Old English tang, tong.] |
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
tongs
tongs
O.E. tange, tang "tongs," from P.Gmc. *tango (cf. O.S. tanga, O.N. töng, Swed. tång, O.Fris. tange, M.Du. tanghe, Du. tang, O.H.G. zanga, Ger. Zange), lit. "that which bites," from PIE base *dank- "bite" (cf. Skt. dasati "biter;" Gk. daknein "to bite," dax "biting"). For sense evolution, cf. Fr. mordache "tongs," from mordre "to bite."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| tongs | |
noun | |
| any of various devices for taking hold of objects; usually have two hinged legs with handles above and pointed hooks below |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Tongs
Tongs\, n. pl. [OE. tonge, tange, AS. tange; akin to D. tang, G. zanga, OHG. zanga, Don. tang, Sw. t[*a]ng, Icel. t["o]ng, Gr. da`knein to bite, Skr. da[~n]i[,c], da[,c]. [root]59. Cf. Tang a strong taste, anything projecting.] An instrument, usually of metal, consisting of two parts, or long shafts, jointed together at or near one end, or united by an elastic bow, used for handling things, especially hot coals or metals; -- often called a pair of tongs.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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