tung

See also: Tung and từng

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”, in Univ of Victoria, Canada‎^[1], retrieved 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”, in Univ. of Chicago‎^[2], retrieved 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^[3], Digitized edition, 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^[4], Digitized edition, 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^[5], Digitized edition, 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”, in Verbatim, The Language Quarterly‎^[6], volume XXVII, number 4, ISSN 0162-0932, OCLC 265962060, 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.

Usage notes

May be used by advocates of English spelling reform.

References

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

Etymology 2

From Chinese 桐 (tóng).

Noun

tung (plural tungs)

1. A tung tree.

Derived terms

• tung oil

Translations

tung tree

• Russian: тунг (ru) m (tung), ту́нговое де́рево n (túngovoje dérevo)

• Serbo-Croatian: tungovo drvo n

Anagrams

• GUNT, Gunt, gunt

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Albanian

Etymology

Shortened from tungjatjeta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tuŋ(ɡ)/

Interjection

tung

1. (informal) hi

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Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, from Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔnɡ/, [tˢɔŋˀ]

Adjective

tung

1. heavy

Inflection

Inflection of tung
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	tung	tungere	tungest2
Neuter singular	tungt	tungere	tungest2
Plural	tunge	tungere	tungest2
Definite attributive1	tunge	tungere	tungeste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• tong, tonge, tunge

Etymology

From Old English tung, tunge (“tongue, language”), from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tunɡ/, [tuŋɡ]

Noun

tung (plural tunges or tungen)

1. (anatomy) tongue
2. A tongue-shaped thing.
3. language, speech, wording
   • c. 1225, Dialogue on Vices and Virtues:

     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, ne isien, ne him seluen wealden, ðurh hwam alle earen ȝehiereð, and alle menn hem seluen welden, and alle eiȝene isieð.

     He that is God’s wisdom, through whom be all wits and all wisdoms and all speaking languages, he lay as the child that knows no good, nor can speak, nor see, nor control himself, through whom all ears hear, and all men control themselves, and all eyes see.

     a. 1382, John Wycliffe, “Psalms 108:1-3”, in Wycliffe's Bible:

     The title of the hundrid and eiȝtthe ſalm. To victorye, the ſalm of Dauid. / God, holde thou not ſtille my preiſyng; for the mouth of the ſynner, and the mouth of the gileful man is openyd on me. / Thei ſpaken ayens me with a gileful tunge, and thei cumpaſſiden me with wordis of hatrede; and fouȝten ayens me with out cauſe.

     The title of the one hundred and eighth psalm: "To Victory; the Psalm of David". / God; don't hold still my praising, as the mouths of the sinners and the mouths of the guilty have opened against me. / They spoke against me with a guilty tongue, they acted against me with words of hatred, and they fought against me without justification.

Synonyms

• (language): langage
• (language): speche
• (language): thede
• (language): leden, lede

Derived terms

• houndestonge

Descendants

• English: tongue
• Scots: tung, tong, tongue

References

• “tǒng(e (n.(2))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-03-20.

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, from Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

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

Terms derived from tung

• topptung
• tungindustri

• tungrodd
• tungtvann

• tungtveiende
• tungvekt

References

• “tung” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, from Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʊŋː/ (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.

Derived terms

• topptung
• tungindustri
• tungtvatn, tungvatn
• tungvekt

References

• “tung” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Old High German

Etymology

Cognate with Old English dung, Icelandic dyngja

Noun

tung m

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

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Scots

Noun

tung (plural tungs)

1. (anatomy) tongue

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Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, from Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɵŋ/

• audio

  (file)

Adjective

tung (comparative tyngre, superlative tyngst)

1. heavy; a physical body of great weight
2. heavy, arduous

   Det var ett tungt arbete

   It was heavy work

3. important

   Hon spelar en tung roll i stiftelsen

   She plays an important role in the foundation

Declension

Inflection of tung
Indefinite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative2
Common singular	tung	tyngre	tyngst
Neuter singular	tungt	tyngre	tyngst
Plural	tunga	tyngre	tyngst
Definite	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Masculine singular1	tunge	tyngre	tyngste
All	tunga	tyngre	tyngsta
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.

Usage notes

The comparative tungare, superlative attribute tungaste and superlative predicative tungast are nonstandard.

Anagrams

• ungt

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Vietnamese

Pronunciation

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

Verb

tung

1. toss, throw

Derived terms

• tung hứng (juggling)