tung

See also: tüng

English

Alternative forms

• tongue

Etymology 1

From Middle English tung, from Old English tung, tunge (“tongue, language”), from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ (“tongue”). Liken Dutch tong, German Zunge, Swedish tunga), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s

Noun

tung (plural tungs)

1. Obsolete spelling of tongue.

   • 1557 July 16, John Cheke, “"Inkhorn" terms: Sir John Cheke”, Univ of Victoria, Canada, accessed on 2012-09-29:

     I am of this opinion that our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges, …

   • 1790, Noah Webster, “The Founders' Constitution Vol 1, Chap 15, Doc 44”, Univ. of Chicago, accessed on 2012-09-29:

     … ever exposed to their envy, and the tung of slander …

   • 1832, Noah Webster, Edmund Henry Barker, A Dictionary of the English Language^[1], edition Digitized, Black and Young, published 2010, page 542:

     Our common orthography is incorrect; the true spelling is tung.

   • 1848, Jonathan Morgan, The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ^[2], edition Digitized, SH Colesworthy, published 2008, page 215:

     … words to be spoken with the understanding, that I may teach others also, than myriads of words, in a tung. ... In the law, it hath been written, That, with other tungs and other lips I will speak to this people, and then they will not hear ...

   • 1872, Hugh Rowley, Sage stuffing for green goslings; or, Saws for the goose and saws^[3], edition Digitized, published 2006, page 159:

     If they've got anything to say which they want you to hear, let 'em say it out; if not, hold their tungs.

   • 2002 Fall, Richard Whelan quoting Melvil Dewey, “The American Spelling Reform Movement”, Verbatim, The Language Quarterly, volume XXVII, number 4, ISSN 0162–0932, page 5: 

     English has strength, simplicity, conciseness, capacity for taking words freely from other tungs, and best of all has the greatest literature the world has yet produced.

References

• Webster's 1828 Dictionary, tung
• Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Supplement, Vol. XII, Page 1387, tung, tungd

Etymology 2

From Sinitic tong

Noun

tung (plural tungs)

1. A tung tree.

Translations

tung tree

• Russian: тунг (ru) m (tung), тунговое дерево n (túngovoje dérevo)

Derived terms

• tung oil

Anagrams

• Gunt, GUNT

---

Albanian

Etymology

Shortened from tungjatjeta.

Pronunciation

/'tung/ or /'tʊng/

Interjection

tung

1. (informal) hi

---

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔnɡ/, [tˢɔŋˀ]

Adjective

tung (neuter tungt, definite and plural tunge, comparative tungere, superlative tungest)

1. heavy

---

Middle English

Alternative forms

• tong, tonge, tunge

Etymology

From Old English tung, tunge (“tongue, language”)

Noun

tung (plural tungs or tungen)

1. tongue
2. tongue shaped thing
3. language, speech

   He ðe is godes wisdom, ðurh hwam bieð alle wittes and ælle wisdomes and alle tungen spekinde; he lai alswa ðat child ðe nan god ne cann, ne speken ne mai. — Dialogue on Vices and Virtues, c1225

References

• Middle English Dictionary

---

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr.

Adjective

tung (neuter singular tungt, definite singular and plural tunge, comparative tyngre or tungere, indefinite superlative tyngst or tungest, definite superlative tyngste or tungeste)

1. heavy

Derived terms

• tungtvann

---

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʊŋg/ (example of pronunciation)

Adjective

tung (masculine and feminine tung, neuter tungt, definite singular and plural tunge, comparative tyngre, indefinite superlative tyngst, definite superlative tyngste)

1. heavy

   Ryggsekken verkar berre tyngre og tyngre.

   The rucksack just feels heavier and heavier.

2. hard, difficult

   Dette var ei tung tid for dei.

   This was a difficult time for them.

3. tired, unwell

   Eg kjenner meg tung i kroppen.

   My body feels tired.

References

• “tung” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

---

Old High German

Etymology

Cognate with Old English dung, Icelandic dyngja

Noun

tung m

1. a barn covered with dung
2. an underground cellar

---

Scots

Noun

tung (plural tungs)

1. (anatomy) tongue

---

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɵŋ/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

tung (comparative tyngre, superlative tyngst)

1. heavy; a physical body of great weight
2. important

   Hon spelar en tung roll i stiftelsen

   She plays an important role in the foundation

Declension

Declension of tung

Inflections of tung		Positive	Comparative	Superlative
		Attributive
Indefinite singular	Common	tung	tyngre
	Neuter	tungt
Definite singular	Masc.	tunge		tyngste
	All	tunga		tyngsta
Plural		tunga		tyngsta
		Predicative
Singular	Common	tung	tyngre	tyngst
	Neuter	tungt
Plural		tunga

---

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): /tuwŋ͡m˧˧/
• (Huế) IPA^(key): /tuwŋ͡m˧˧/
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): /tuwŋ͡m˧˥/

Verb

tung

1. toss, throw

Derived terms

• tung hứng (juggling)