tang

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tang"

Languages (28)

Australian Kriol • Bislama • Blagar • Chungli Ao • Cimbrian • Danish • Dutch • Estonian • Hokkien • Iban • Indonesian • Kusunda • Mandarin • Mauritian Creole • Middle English • Northern Kurdish • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old English • Palula • Pijin • Polish • Seychellois Creole • Tagalog • Tok Pisin • Torres Strait Creole • Vietnamese

Page categories

English

Pronunciation

(without /æ/ raising) IPA^(key): /ˈtæŋ/, [ˈtʰæŋ]
(/æ/ raising) IPA^(key): /ˈteɪ̯ŋ/, [ˈtʰeɪ̯ŋ], /ˈtɛ̃ŋ/, [ˈtʰɛ̃ŋ]
Audio (Australia): (file)
Rhymes: -æŋ
Hyphenation: tang

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 Middle Dutch tanger (“sharp, tart, pinching”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Particularly: “Does this need another split between taste and metal bit? Also eye-dialect for tongue???”

Noun

tang (plural tangs)

A refreshingly sharp aroma or flavor.
Synonyms: bite, piquancy, spiciness, twang, zing

Antonyms: blandness, dullness

a tang of citrus
- 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.
- 2022 July 18, “Food for Thought: A Short History of Yogurt”, in BC Dairy‎^[1], archived from the original on 11 June 2026:
  To make yogurt, milk or cream is pasteurized and homogenized, then Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles bacteria are added to convert the lactose into lactic acid. This is what thickens it, and gives it the distinct tang.
A strong or offensive taste; especially, a taste of something extraneous to the thing itself.
Synonym: twang

a tang of cellar

Wine or cider has a tang of the cask.
(figuratively) A sharp, specific flavor or tinge.
a tang of pedantry
- 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
  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?
A projecting part of an object by means of which it is secured to a handle, or to some other part.
Synonym: fang (archaic)

Coordinate term: tab

slip the cable over the tang
- 1988, Richard Feynman, Ralph Leighton, "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character, New York, N.Y.; London: W. W. Norton & Company, →OCLC, page 150:
  "And inside the joints, these so-called O-rings are supposed to expand to make a seal—is that right?" ¶ "Yes, sir. In static conditions they should be in direct contact with the tang and clevis and squeezed twenty-thousandths of an inch."
1. The part of a knife, fork, file, or other instrument or hand tool, which is inserted into the handle.
  full-tang
  
  A full-tang knife is strongest against handle breakage, but partial-tang knives are common because of a combination of facts: they are inexpensive, and in some applications any manner of use that would exceed the handle's limit is not an appropriate manner of use.
  1. The part of a sword blade to which the handle is fastened.
    - 1982, Gene Wolfe, chapter 27, in The Sword of the Lictor (The Book of the New Sun; 3), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, page 200:
      I spent the evening collecting the abandoned nests of birds from a rock face a half league distant, and that night I struck fire from the tang of Terminus Est and boiled the coarse meal (which took a long time to cook, because of the altitude) and ate it.
2. (firearms) The projecting part of the breech of a musket barrel, by which the barrel is secured to the stock.
  - 1985, Cormac McCarthy, chapter IV, in Blood Meridian […] , →OCLC:
    The rifle carried a vernier sight on the tang […]
(games) A shuffleboard paddle.
Coordinate term: biscuit
Obsolete form of 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?
(by extension) Anything resembling a tongue in form or position, such as the tongue of a buckle.

Derived terms

Translations

refreshingly sharp aroma

Czech: říz (cs) m
Finnish: kirpeys (fi)
Italian: aroma (it) m, olezzo (it) m, effluvio (it) m
Serbo-Croatian: reskost (sh) f
Swedish: bismak (sv) c

strong or offensive taste

Czech: pachuť (cs) f, říz (cs) m
Finnish: kitkeryys (fi)
French: saveur piquante
German: Beigeschmack (de) m
Italian: sapore intenso m, gusto (it) m, retrogusto (it) m, timbro (it) m
Swedish: bismak (sv) c

figuratively: sharp, specific flavor

Czech: příchuť (cs) f, pachuť (cs) f
Finnish: maku (fi)
German: Beigeschmack (de) m
Swedish: bismak (sv) c

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, respigo m
Ingrian: keeli
Italian: codolo (it) m
Ukrainian: хвостовик m (xvostovyk)

part of small instrument inserted into handle

Dutch: angel (nl) m
Finnish: ruoti (fi)
Galician: espigo (gl) m, respigo m
German: Erl (de) m, Angel (de)
Ingrian: keeli
Italian: codolo (it) m
Korean: 슴베 (seumbe)
Norwegian: tange (no) m
Nynorsk: tange m
Russian: хвостовик (ru) m (xvostovik)
Spanish: espiga (es)
Turkish:
Ottoman Turkish: سنخ (sinh)
Ukrainian: хвостовик m (xvostovyk), ((shovel part)) тулійка f (tulijka)

projecting part of a musket barrel

part of a sword blade

Finnish: ruoti (fi)
French: queue (fr) f
Galician: espigo (gl) m, respigo m
Ingrian: keeli
Italian: codolo (it) m
Japanese: 茎 (ja) (なかご, nakago)
Portuguese: espiga (pt) f, espigão m
Spanish: espiga (es) f
Ukrainian: хвостовик m (xvostovyk)

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. 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)

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)

(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.^[1]^[2]
To make a ringing sound; to ring.
- c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [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 (countable and uncountable, plural tangs)

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

Derived terms

Translations

Ascophyllum nodosum — see knotted wrack

Etymology 4

Clipping of poontang.

Noun

tang (countable and uncountable, plural tangs) (vulgar slang)

(countable) The vagina or vulva.
- 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 […]
(uncountable) Sexual intercourse with a woman

Etymology 5

Unknown

Noun

tang (plural tangs)

(zoology) Any of a group of saltwater fish from the family Acanthuridae, especially the genus Zebrasoma.
Synonym: surgeonfish

Derived terms

terms derived from tang (fish)

Translations

fish from the Acanthuridae family

Finnish: välskäri (fi)
Italian: pesce chirurgo m
Portuguese: peixe-cirurgião m

References

^ Eva Crane, The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting, Taylor & Francis (1999), →ISBN, page 239.
^ Hilda M. Ransome, The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore, Courier Dover Publications (2004), →ISBN, page 225.

Anagrams

Gant, Gnat, gnat

Australian Kriol

Etymology

From English tongue.

Noun

tang

tongue

Bislama

Etymology

From English tongue. Cognate with Pijin and Tok Pisin tang.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈtaŋ/
Hyphenation: tang

Noun

tang

(anatomy) tongue (organ)
Tang blong mi i hot from mi kakae pima.
My tongue is hot because I ate chilli.
(sociolinguistics) local accent, vernacular dialect
Yu harem tang blong hem — hem i man Tanna.
You hear his accent — he's from Tanna.

Derived terms

dram blong bia (“keg of beer”)
givim tang (“to poke out tongue”)
pusum tang (“to poke out tongue”)
soem tang (“to poke out tongue”)
tang blong bia (“keg of beer”)
tang i hang (“to overeat, to be stuffed; to overindulge in kava”) (slang)
tang i hevi (“to be non-fluent (in a language)”)
tang i laet (“to be fluent (in a language)”)
tang i sot (“to stutter, to stammer”)

References

Crowley, Terry (2003), “tang”, in A New Bislama Dictionary, 2nd edition, Suva, Fiji: Institute of Pacific Studies, →ISBN, page 272
Crowley, Terry (2004), Bislama Reference Grammar, Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, page 12

Blagar

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /taŋ/

Noun

tang

sea

References

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

Chungli Ao

Adverb

tang

now

Cimbrian

Noun

tang

plural of tage

Danish

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:

tang

Wikipedia ^da

Etymology 1

From Old Norse tǫng.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /tanɡ/, [tˢɑŋˀ]

Noun

tang c (singular definite tangen, plural indefinite tænger)

Inflection

Declension of *tang*
common gender	singular		plural
common gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	tang	tangen	tænger	tængerne
genitive	tangs	tangens	tængers	tængernes

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þang. Cf. Swedish tång, Norwegian Bokmål tang, Norwegian Nynorsk tang.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /tanɡ/, [tˢɑŋˀ]

Noun

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

seaweed

Dutch

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /tɑŋ/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɑŋ

Noun

tang f (plural tangen, diminutive tangetje n)

pliers
tongs
(especially the diminutive) pincers, tweezers
(figuratively) shrew, bitch

Derived terms

Descendants

Negerhollands: tang
→ Indonesian: tang

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Norse *ᛊᛏᚨᚾᚷᚢ (*stangu, “bar, rod, stake”) (compare Old Norse stǫng, German Stange), with the meaning change rod > something prickly > prickly ear (of wheat etc) > grain.
From Finno-Mordovian, in that case cognate to Finnish tankea (“stiff”), Livonian da’nktõ, da’nkti (“strong, healthy”). Original meaning presumably was "something hard, stiff".

Noun

tang (genitive tangu, partitive tangu)

crushed groat (hulled grain)

Declension

Declension of tang (ÕS type 22e/riik, length gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		tang	tangud
accusative	nom.	tang
accusative	gen.	tangu
genitive		tangu	tangude
partitive		tangu	tange tangusid
illative		tangu tangusse	tangudesse tangesse
inessive		tangus	tangudes tanges
elative		tangust	tangudest tangest
allative		tangule	tangudele tangele
adessive		tangul	tangudel tangel
ablative		tangult	tangudelt tangelt
translative		tanguks	tangudeks tangeks
terminative		tanguni	tangudeni
essive		tanguna	tangudena
abessive		tanguta	tangudeta
comitative		tanguga	tangudega

Hokkien

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

Iban

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /taəŋ/
Hyphenation: tang

Conjunction

tang

but

Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:

tang

Wikipedia ^id

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

Noun

tang (plural tang-tang)

pliers
Synonym: playar (Standard Malay)

Derived terms

Verb

tang

to use the pliers

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

tang (plural tang-tang)

the sound of hit can, a metallic sound

Etymology 3

Noun

tang (plural tang-tang)

nonstandard form of tank

Etymology 4

Preposition

tang

(colloquial) clipping of tentang

Kusunda

Noun

tang

water

Mandarin

Romanization

tang

nonstandard spelling of tāng
nonstandard spelling of táng
nonstandard spelling of tǎng
nonstandard spelling of tàng

Usage notes

Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mauritian Creole

Alternative forms

tandrak

Etymology

From Malagasy tandraka.

Noun

tang

tenrec

References

Baker, Philip; Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. (1987), Diksiyoner kreol morisyeṅ [Mauritian Creole Dictionary] (in French and English), Paris: L'Harmattan, →ISBN, page 310
Carpooran, Arnaud (2011), Diksioner Morisien [Mauritian Dictionary] (in Mauritian Creole), second edition, Éditions Le Printemps, →ISBN, page 1019

Middle English

Noun

tang

alternative form of tonge (“tongs”)

Northern Kurdish

Noun

tang ?

side

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

tang

Wikipedia ^no

Etymology 1

From Old Norse tǫng.

Noun

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

(a pair of) pliers, pincers
(a pair of) forceps

Derived terms

knipetang

Etymology 2

From Old Norse þang, compare Swedish tång, Danish tang, Norwegian Nynorsk tang.

Noun

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

kelp, seaweed (order Fucales)

References

“tang” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

tang

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

Etymology

From Old Norse þang n, compare Swedish tång, Danish tang, Norwegian Bokmål tang.

Noun

tang m (definite singular tangen, uncountable)

kelp, seaweed (order Fucales)

Usage notes

Prior to a 2019 revision, it was also considered grammatically neuter.^[1] With this change, definite singular tanget was made non-standard.

References

“tang” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

^ Language Council of Norway, Spelling decisions since 2012 (in Norwegian, retrieved 12.21.20)

Old English

Alternative forms

tange

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *tangu, from Proto-Germanic *tangō, from Proto-Indo-European *denḱ- (“to bite”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /tɑnɡ/, [tɑŋɡ]

Noun

tang f

tongs

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	tang	tanga, tange
accusative	tange	tanga, tange
genitive	tange	tanga
dative	tange	tangum

Palula

Etymology

Borrowed from Urdu تَنگ, from Classical Persian تَنگ.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /taŋɡ/, /taŋ/

Adjective

tang (invariable, Perso-Arabic spelling تنگ)

narrow
Synonym: aawíiṛu

Antonym: bistíiṇu
troubled

References

Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “tang”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[2], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Pijin

Etymology

From English tongue. Cognate with Bislama and Tok Pisin tang.

Noun

tang

(anatomy) tongue (organ)
No mekem tang blong yu kamaot!
Stop sticking out your tongue!

References

Jourdan, Christine with Maebiru, Ellen (2002), “tang”, in Pijin: A trilingual cultural dictionary (Pacific Linguistics; 526), Canberra, ACT: Pacific Linguistics, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, →ISBN, page 239

Polish

Etymology

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈtaŋk/
Rhymes: -aŋk
Syllabification: tang

Noun

tang n

genitive plural of tango

Seychellois Creole

Etymology

From Malagasy tandraka.

Noun

tang

tenrec

References

D'Offay, Danielle; Lionnet, Guy (1982), Diksyonner kreol-franse [Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Hamburg: Buske, →ISBN

Tagalog

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *tata-der.

Proto-Italic *tata

Latin tatalbor.

Philippine Spanish tatabor.?

Tagalog tata

Tagalog -ng

Tagalog tatangclip.

Tagalog tang

Clipping of tatang, from tata (“daddy”) + -ng (enclitic).

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈtaŋ/ [ˈt̪aŋ]
Rhymes: -aŋ
Syllabification: tang

Noun

tang (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜅ᜔)

alternative form of tatang

Tok Pisin

Etymology 1

From English tongue. Cognate with Bislama and Pijin tang.

Noun

tang

tongue

Etymology 2

From English tank. Cognate with Bislama and Pijin tang.

Noun

tang

tank

Torres Strait Creole

Etymology

From English tongue.

Noun

tang

tongue

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 喪.

Noun

tang

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

Etymology 2

From English tangent.

Noun

tang

(trigonometry) tangent

Etymology 3

Noun

tang

(music) shell (body of a drum)
Trống thủng còn tang.
The drum was busted, leaving only the shell.

Etymology 4

Sino-Vietnamese word from 贓.

Noun

tang

(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

Etymology 5

Noun

tang

(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

(fossil word) mulberry
(fossil word) silkworm

Usage notes

This sense only occurs in some compound words.

Derived terms

References

Hồ Ngọc Đức, editor (2003), “tang”, in Việt–Việt‎^[3] (DICT), Leipzig: Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details), archived from the original on 12 November 2024

Etymology 7

Sino-Vietnamese word from 鐺.

Noun

tang

Buddhist copper instrument

Derived terms

tang đồng

[1] Eva Crane, The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting, Taylor & Francis (1999), →ISBN, page 239.

[2] Hilda M. Ransome, The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore, Courier Dover Publications (2004), →ISBN, page 225.

[3] Language Council of Norway, Spelling decisions since 2012 (in Norwegian, retrieved 12.21.20)

[1]

[2]

[1]

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Noun

Verb

Etymology 3

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 4

Noun

Etymology 5

Noun

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

References

See also

Anagrams

Australian Kriol

Etymology

Noun

Bislama

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

References

Blagar

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Chungli Ao

Adverb

Further reading

Cimbrian

Noun

Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Inflection

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Descendants

Estonian

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Further reading

Hokkien

Iban

Pronunciation

Conjunction

Indonesian

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Derived terms

Verb

Etymology 2

Noun

Etymology 3

Noun

Etymology 4

Preposition

Further reading

Kusunda

Noun

Mandarin