tang

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tang"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tæŋ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æŋ

Etymology 1

From Middle English tange, variant of tonge (“tongs, fang”), from Old Norse tangi (“pointed metal tool”), perhaps related to Old Norse tunga (“tongue”). But see also Old Dutch tanger (“sharp, tart, pinching”)

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

tang (plural tangs)

1. A refreshingly sharp aroma or flavor.

   Synonyms: bite, piquancy, spiciness

   Antonyms: blandness, dullness

   • 1904, O. Henry, "The Missing Chord"

     The miraculous air, heady with ozone and made memorably sweet by leagues of wild flowerets, gave tang and savour to the breath.

2. A strong or offensive taste; especially, a taste of something extraneous to the thing itself.

   Wine or cider has a tang of the cask.

3. (figuratively) A sharp, specific flavor or tinge.
   • 1655, Thomas Fuller, James Nichols, editor, The Church History of Britain, […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), new edition, London: […] [James Nichols] for Thomas Tegg and Son, […], published 1837, OCLC 913056315:

     Such proceedings had a strong tang of tyranny.

   • 1806, Francis Jeffrey, Memoirs of Dr. Priestley in The Edinburgh Review

     a cant of philosophism, and a tang of party politics

   • 1913, Paul Laurence Dunbar, "At Sunset Time"

     What, was it I who bared my heart / Through unrelenting years, / And knew the sting of misery's dart, / The tang of sorrow's tears?

4. A projecting part of an object by means of which it is secured to a handle, or to some other part.
5. The part of a knife, fork, file, or other small instrument, which is inserted into the handle.
6. (firearms) The projecting part of the breech of a musket barrel, by which the barrel is secured to the stock.
   • 1985, Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, chapter IV

     The rifle carried a vernier sight on the tang...

7. The part of a sword blade to which the handle is fastened.
8. (zoology) Any of a group of saltwater fish from the family Acanthuridae, especially the genus Zebrasoma.

   Synonym: surgeonfish

9. (games) A shuffleboard paddle.

   Coordinate term: biscuit

10. (obsolete) tongue
    • 1667, John Lacy, Sauny the Scot: Or, the Taming of the Shrew, Act V,

      Sauny Hear ye, sir; could not ye mistake, and pull her tang out instead of her teeth?

11. (by extension) Anything resembling a tongue in form or position such as the tongue of a buckle.

Derived terms

terms derived from tang (noun)

• tangy
• clown tang
• purple tang
• Red Sea sailfin tang

• sohal tang
• spotted unicorn tang
• yellow tang

Translations

refreshingly sharp aroma

• Finnish: kirpeys (fi)

• Italian: aroma (it) m, olezzo (it) m, effluvio (it) m

strong or offensive taste

• Finnish: kitkeryys (fi)
• French: saveur piquante

• German: Beigeschmack (de) m
• Italian: sapore intenso m, gusto (it) m, retrogusto (it) m, timbro (it) m

figuratively: sharp, specific flavor

• Finnish: maku (fi)

• German: Beigeschmack (de) m

projecting part of an object by means of which it is secured to some other part

• Finnish: ruoti (fi), kieli (fi)

• Galician: espigo (gl) m
• Italian: codolo (it) m

part of small instrument inserted into handle

• Dutch: angel (nl) m
• Finnish: ruoti (fi)
• Galician: espigo (gl) m
• German: Erl (de) m, Angel (de)
• Italian: codolo (it) m

• Korean: 슴베 (seumbe)
• Norwegian: tange (no) m

  Nynorsk: tange m

• Russian: хвостовик (ru) m (xvostovik)
• Spanish: espiga (es)

projecting part of a musket barrel

part of a sword blade

• Finnish: ruoti (fi)
• Italian: codolo (it) m

• Japanese: 茎 (ja) (なかご, nakago)

fish from the Acanthuridae family

• Finnish: välskäri (fi)

• Italian: pesce chirurgo m
• Portuguese: peixe-cirurgião m

tongue — see tongue

anything resembling a tongue in form or position

• Finnish: kieli (fi)

• Italian: linguetta (it) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: sabor fuerte; acidez f, sabor ácido; olor penetrante

Etymology 2

Imitative

Noun

tang (plural tangs)

1. A sharp, twanging sound; an unpleasant tone; a twang.

Verb

tang (third-person singular simple present tangs, present participle tanging, simple past and past participle tanged)

1. (dated, beekeeping) To strike two metal objects together loudly in order to persuade a swarm of honeybees to land so it may be captured by the beekeeper.
2. To make a ringing sound; to ring.
   • c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or VVhat You VVill”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene v]:

     let thy tongue tang arguments of state

Etymology 3

Probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish tang (“seaweed”), Swedish tång, Icelandic þang

Noun

tang (plural tangs)

1. (rare) knotted wrack, Ascophyllum nodosum (coarse blackish seaweed)

Translations

Ascophyllum nodosum — see knotted wrack

Etymology 4

Clipping of poontang.

Noun

tang (countable and uncountable, plural tangs)

1. (countable, vulgar slang) The vagina.
   • 2002, Lynn Breedlove, Godspeed, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN, page 9,

     The guys like to look at her tang, because that's how they are […]

2. (uncountable, vulgar slang) sexual intercourse with a woman

Further reading

• Acanthuridae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• tang at OneLook Dictionary Search
• tang in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Gant, Gnat, gnat

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Blagar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taŋ/

Noun

tang

1. sea

References

• A. Schapper, The Papuan Languages of Timor, Alor and Pantar: Volume 1
• The Rosetta Project, Blagar Swadesh List

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Cimbrian

Noun

tang

1. plural of tage

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Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse tǫng.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tanɡ/, [tˢɑŋˀ]

Noun

tang c (singular definite tangen, plural indefinite tænger)

1. tongs
2. forceps

Inflection

Declension of tang

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	tang	tangen	tænger	tængerne
genitive	tangs	tangens	tængers	tængernes

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tanɡ/, [tˢɑŋˀ]

Noun

tang c (singular definite tangen, not used in plural form)

1. seaweed

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch tanghe, from Old Dutch tanga, from Proto-Germanic *tangō, *tangiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑŋ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑŋ

Noun

tang f (plural tangen, diminutive tangetje n)

1. pliers
2. tongs
3. (especially the diminutive) pincers, tweezers
4. (figuratively) shrew, bitch

Derived terms

• kniptang
• krultang
• nijptang
• pijptang
• waterpomptang

Descendants

• Negerhollands: tang
• → Indonesian: tang

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Estonian

Noun

tang (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

1. groat

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Further reading

• tang in Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat

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Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtaŋ]
• Hyphenation: tang
• Homophone: tank

Etymology 1

From Dutch tang, from Middle Dutch tanghe, from Old Dutch tanga, from Proto-Germanic *tangō.

Noun

tang (first-person possessive tangku, second-person possessive tangmu, third-person possessive tangnya)

1. pliers

Verb

tang

1. to use the pliers

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

tang (first-person possessive tangku, second-person possessive tangmu, third-person possessive tangnya)

1. the sound of hit can, a metallic sound.

Etymology 3

Noun

tang (first-person possessive tangku, second-person possessive tangmu, third-person possessive tangnya)

1. Nonstandard form of tank.

Etymology 4

Noun

tang

1. (colloquial) Clipping of tentang.

Further reading

• “tang” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

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Kriol

Etymology

From English tongue.

Noun

tang

1. tongue

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Kusunda

Noun

tang

1. water

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Mandarin

Romanization

tang

1. Nonstandard spelling of tāng.
2. Nonstandard spelling of táng.
3. Nonstandard spelling of tǎng.
4. Nonstandard spelling of tàng.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

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Mauritian Creole

Etymology

From Malagasy tandraka

Noun

tang

1. tenrec

References

• Baker, Philip & Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. 1987. Dictionnaire de créole mauricien. Morisyen – English – Français

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Middle English

Noun

tang

1. Alternative form of tonge (“tongs”)

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Min Nan

For pronunciation and definitions of tang – see 東 (“east; host; etc.”). (This character, tang, is the Pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 東.)

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Northern Kurdish

Noun

tang ?

1. side

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse tǫng

Noun

tang f or m (definite singular tanga or tangen, indefinite plural tenger, definite plural tengene)

1. (a pair of) pliers, pincers
2. (a pair of) forceps

Derived terms

• knipetang

See also

• tong (Nynorsk)

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þang, compare with German Tang

Noun

tang m or n (definite singular tangen or tanget, uncountable)

1. kelp, seaweed (order Fucales)

References

• “tang” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse þang n.

Noun

tang m (definite singular tangen, uncountable)

1. kelp, seaweed (order Fucales)

Usage notes

• Prior to a 2019 revision, it was also considered grammatically neuter. With this change, definite singular tanget was made non-standard.

References

• “tang” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Phalura

Etymology

From Urdu تنگ‎ (taṅg), from Persian [Term?].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taŋɡ/, /taŋ/

Adjective

tang (invariable, Perso-Arabic spelling تنگ)

1. narrow
2. troubled

References

• Liljegren, Henrik; Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[1], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

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Seychellois Creole

Etymology

From Malagasy tandraka

Noun

tang

1. tenrec

References

• Danielle D’Offay et Guy Lionnet, Diksyonner Kreol - Franse / Dictionnaire Créole Seychellois - Français

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Tai Do

Etymology

Cognate with Thai ทาง (taang), Lao ທາງ (thāng), Northern Thai ᨴᩤ᩠ᨦ, Lü ᦑᦱᧂ (taang), Shan တၢင်း (táang).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taːŋ⁵⁵/

Noun

tang

1. road, path, way

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Tok Pisin

Etymology 1

From English tongue.

Noun

tang

1. tongue

Etymology 2

From English tank.

Noun

tang

1. tank

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Torres Strait Creole

Etymology

From English tongue.

Noun

tang

1. (anatomy) tongue

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Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 喪.

Noun

tang

Vietnamese funeral flag (cờ tang)

1. a series of events that encompasses a funeral, a burial or cremation, and a period of mourning spanning up to 3 years after the lunar date of death

   để tang

   to hold a public funeral, then stay in mourning (by watching your clothing choices and avoiding other taboos)

   đại tang

   mourning in 3 years

   (literally, “greater mourning”)

   tiểu tang

   mourning in 1 year or less

   (literally, “lesser mourning”)

   mãn/xả tang

   to officially end mourning

   hết tang

   the mourning (has) ended

   đám tang

   a funeral

   Nhà đang có tang.

   The family is in mourning.

   Chưa hết tang mẹ.

   They haven't officially ended mourning their mother.

   đeo băng tang

   to wear a funeral headband

   đội khăn tang

   to wear a funeral headscarf

Derived terms

Derived terms

• chịu tang
• đám tang
• để tang
• hộ tang
• lễ tang
• mãn tang
• người tang
• nhà tang
• phát tang
• phù tang
• quốc tang
• sổ tang
• tang chế
• tang gia
• tang lễ
• tang ma
• tang sự
• tang tóc
• tang trai
• thụ tang
• trùng tang
• xe tang

 

Etymology 2

From English tangent.

Noun

tang

1. (trigonometry) tangent

See also

• tan
• côtang
• tiếp tuyến

Etymology 3

Noun

tang

1. (music) shell (body of a drum)

   Trống thủng còn tang.

   The drum was busted, leaving only the shell.

Etymology 4

Noun

tang

1. (fossil word) evidence of wrongdoing

   Đốt đi cho mất tang.

   Light it on fire to hide the evidence.

Usage notes

This sense only occurs in some compound words.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• phao tang
• phi tang
• quả tang
• tang chứng
• tang tích
• tang vật
• tham tang

 

Etymology 5

Noun

tang

1. (informal) something or someone insignificant

   Cái tang thuốc này hút nặng lắm.

   Smoking this little thing packs a punch.

   Tang ấy thì biết làm ăn gì.

   That guy hasn't a clue how to make a living.

Etymology 6

Sino-Vietnamese word from 桑

Noun

tang

1. (fossil word) mulberry
2. (fossil word) silkworm

Usage notes

This sense only occurs in some compound words.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• bóng tang
• nông tang
• tàm tang
• tang bồng
• tang bồng hồ thỉ
• tang du
• tang hải
• tang thương
• thương hải tang điền

 

See also

• Ca-tang
• tang tảng

References

• "tang" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)