# tang
## English
### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: tăng; IPA: /tæŋ/
** Audio (General Australian):(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 Middle Dutch tanger (“sharp, tart, pinching”).
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. 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.
* 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.
    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."
** 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.
*** 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.
** (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 […]
* (zoology) Any of a group of saltwater fish from the family Acanthuridae, especially the genus Zebrasoma.
    Synonym: surgeonfish
* (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

* blue tang
* brown tang
* tangy
* clown tang
* purple tang
* Red Sea sailfin tang
* sohal tang
* spotted unicorn tang
* tang button
* yellow tang

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### 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.
* 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)

##### Translations
### Etymology 4

Clipping of poontang.

#### Noun

tang (countable and uncountable, plural tangs)
* (countable, vulgar slang) 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, vulgar slang) Sexual intercourse with a woman

### Further reading

* Acanthuridae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* “tang”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “tang”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

### 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.

### See also

* tangbao
* tang hoon

### Anagrams

* Gant, Gnat, gnat

## Australian Kriol
### Etymology

From English tongue.

### Noun

tang
* tongue

## Bislama
### Etymology

From English tongue. Cognate with Tok Pisin tang.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈtaŋ/
* Hyphenation: tang

### Noun

tang
* tongue

### References

* Terry Crowley (2004) Bislama Reference Grammar, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi press, →ISBN, page 12

## Blagar
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /taŋ/

### Noun

tang
* sea

### References

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

## Cimbrian
### Noun

tang
* plural of tage

## Danish
### Etymology 1

From Old Norse tǫng.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tanɡ/, [tˢɑŋˀ]

#### Noun

tang c (singular definite tangen, plural indefinite tænger)
* tongs
* forceps

##### Inflection
### Etymology 2

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

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /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: /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

* kniptang
* krultang
* nijptang
* pijptang
* waterpomptang

#### 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)
* groat (hulled grain)

#### Declension
### Further reading

* “tang”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
* “tang”, in [ETY] Eesti etümoloogiasõnaraamat [Estonian Etymological Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2012

## 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: /taəŋ/
* Hyphenation: tang

### Conjunction

tang
* but

## Indonesian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈtaŋ]
* Hyphenation: tang
* Homophone: tank

### Etymology 1

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

#### Noun

tang (plural tang-tang)
* pliers

#### 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
#### Noun

tang
* (colloquial) Clipping of tentang.

### Further reading

* “tang” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## 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
### Etymology

From Malagasy tandraka.

### Noun

tang
* tenrec

### References

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

## Middle English
### Noun

tang
* Alternative form of tonge (“tongs”)

## Northern Kurdish
### Noun

tang ?
* side

## Norwegian Bokmål
### 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

#### See also

* tong (Nynorsk)

### 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
### 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. 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: /tɑnɡ/, [tɑŋɡ]

### Noun

tang f
* tongs

#### Declension

Strong ō-stem:

### References

* Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “tang”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

## Phalura
### Etymology

Borrowed from Urdu تَنگ, from Classical Persian تَنگ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /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)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

## Seychellois Creole
### Etymology

From Malagasy tandraka.

### Noun

tang
* tenrec

### References

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

## Tok Pisin
### Etymology 1

From English tongue.

#### Noun

tang
* tongue

### Etymology 2

From English tank.

#### Noun

tang
* tank

## Torres Strait Creole
### Etymology

From English tongue.

### Noun

tang
* (anatomy) tongue

## Vietnamese
### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [taːŋ˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [taːŋ˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [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 tangto hold a public funeral, then stay in mourning (by watching your clothing choices and avoiding other taboos)
    đại tangmourning in 3 years(literally, “greater mourning”)
    tiểu tangmourning in 1 year or less(literally, “lesser mourning”)
    mãn/xả tangto officially end mourning
    hết tangthe mourning (has) ended
    đám tanga funeral
    Nhà đang có tang.The family is in mourning.
    Chưa hết tang mẹ.They haven't officially ended mourning their mother.
    đeo băng tangto wear a funeral headband
    đội khăn tangto wear a funeral headscarf

##### 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
* (trigonometry) tangent

#### See also

* tan
* côtang
* tiếp tuyến

### Etymology 3
#### Noun

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

### Etymology 4
#### 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

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

### 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

* 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)

### Etymology 7

Sino-Vietnamese word from 鐺

#### Noun

tang
* Buddhist copper instrument

##### Derived terms

* tang đồng