tonga

See also: Tonga and tong-a

English

Etymology 1

From Hindi टाँगा (ṭāṅgā).

Alternative forms

• tanga

A tonga

Noun

tonga (plural tongas)

1. (India) A light, two-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage used for transportation in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
   • 1890, Rudyard Kipling, Plain Tales from the Hills:

     Coming up along the Cart-Road a tonga passed me, and my pony, tired with standing so long, set off at a canter.

   • 1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin, published 2005, page 13:

     When his tyre went flat, he leapt off and shouted for a tonga.

   • 1972, Abulhasan 'Ali Nadvi, The Musalman, page 42:

     The Muslim ladies who earlier moved out in covered palanquins, dolis and muhafas or completely veiled coaches and victorias are now obliged to go about in tongas, rikshaws and buses leaving aside the earlier scruples.

Etymology 2

From Tonga.

Noun

tonga (uncountable)

1. (medicine) A drug useful in neuralgia, derived from a Fijian plant supposed to be of the aroid genus Epipremnum.

See also

• tonga bean

Anagrams

• Atong, on tag, tag on, tango

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin tunica. Doublet of túnica, a learned borrowing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈtoŋ.ɡə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈtoŋ.ɡa]

Noun

tonga f (plural tongues)

1. (historical) a form of tunic worn by Catalan Jews during the Middle Ages

Derived terms

• tongada

Related terms

• caftà

Further reading

• “tonga” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Finnish

Etymology

< Tonga

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtoŋːɑ/, [ˈt̪o̞ŋːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -oŋːɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): ton‧ga

Noun

tonga

1. Tongan (language)

Declension

Inflection of tonga (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		tonga	—
genitive		tongan	—
partitive		tongaa	—
illative		tongaan	—
		singular	plural
nominative		tonga	—
accusative	nom.	tonga	—
	gen.	tongan
genitive		tongan	—
partitive		tongaa	—
inessive		tongassa	—
elative		tongasta	—
illative		tongaan	—
adessive		tongalla	—
ablative		tongalta	—
allative		tongalle	—
essive		tongana	—
translative		tongaksi	—
abessive		tongatta	—
instructive		—	—
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of tonga (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tongani — accusative nom. tongani — gen. tongani genitive tongani — partitive tongaani — inessive tongassani — elative tongastani — illative tongaani — adessive tongallani — ablative tongaltani — allative tongalleni — essive tonganani — translative tongakseni — abessive tongattani — instructive — — comitative — — second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tongasi — accusative nom. tongasi — gen. tongasi genitive tongasi — partitive tongaasi — inessive tongassasi — elative tongastasi — illative tongaasi — adessive tongallasi — ablative tongaltasi — allative tongallesi — essive tonganasi — translative tongaksesi — abessive tongattasi — instructive — — comitative — — first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tongamme — accusative nom. tongamme — gen. tongamme genitive tongamme — partitive tongaamme — inessive tongassamme — elative tongastamme — illative tongaamme — adessive tongallamme — ablative tongaltamme — allative tongallemme — essive tonganamme — translative tongaksemme — abessive tongattamme — instructive — — comitative — — second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tonganne — accusative nom. tonganne — gen. tonganne genitive tonganne — partitive tongaanne — inessive tongassanne — elative tongastanne — illative tongaanne — adessive tongallanne — ablative tongaltanne — allative tongallenne — essive tongananne — translative tongaksenne — abessive tongattanne — instructive — — comitative — — third-person possessor singular plural nominative tongansa — accusative nom. tongansa — gen. tongansa genitive tongansa — partitive tongaansa — inessive tongassaan tongassansa — elative tongastaan tongastansa — illative tongaansa — adessive tongallaan tongallansa — ablative tongaltaan tongaltansa — allative tongalleen tongallensa — essive tonganaan tonganansa — translative tongakseen tongaksensa — abessive tongattaan tongattansa — instructive — — comitative — —

Anagrams

• tango, togan

Lingala

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-tʊ́nga.

Verb

-tonga (infinitive kotonga)

1. to sew, to mend
2. to build

See also

• -tónga

Malagasy

Etymology 1

Participle

tonga

1. arrived

Etymology 2

The talisman sense comes from Etymology 1 of the word.

Noun

tonga

1. (Mahafaly, Sakalava) a charm or talisman believed to bring one safely to their destination
2. (by extension) a plant used to make this talisman, the blue porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis)
3. (Antanosy) rosy periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)
4. (Bara) Catharanthus longifolius

Maori

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Polynesian *toŋa (“south wind”), possibly from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *təŋaq (“centre”).

No words for the cardinal directions can be unambiguously reconstructed for Proto-Polynesian, as there would be little use for them on the small Polynesian islands. However, on the much larger North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and South Island (Te Waipounamu) of New Zealand, the usefulness of such terminology led the Māori to adopt this word for "south".

Noun

tonga

1. south

   Synonyms: taitonga, (obsolete) hauta

Coordinate terms

(compass points)

tapatapātiu	tokerau, raki	kārapu
uru		rāwhiti
uru-mā-tonga	tonga	pitonga

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

tonga f

1. definite singular of tong

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtõ.ɡɐ/

• Hyphenation: ton‧ga

Adjective

tonga

1. feminine singular of tongo

Noun

tonga m (uncountable)

1. Tongan (Austronesian language spoken in Tonga)

   Synonym: tonganês

Noun

tonga f (plural tongas)

1. female equivalent of tongo

Noun

tonga f (plural tongas)

1. (Angola) land for farming

Rapa Nui

Noun

tonga

1. a kind of yam

Solon

Solon cardinal numbers

<  4	5	6  >
Cardinal : tonga

Etymology

From Proto-Tungusic *tuńga. Cognate with Evenki тунӈа (tunŋa), Even ту̇нӈа̇н (tu̇nŋȧn), Oroqen tʊŋŋa, Manchu ᠰᡠᠨᠵᠠ (sunja).

Numeral

tonga

1. five

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtonɡa/ [ˈt̪õŋ.ɡa]
• Rhymes: -onɡa
• Syllabification: ton‧ga

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin tunica. Doublet of túnica, a borrowing.

Noun

tonga f (plural tongas)

1. coating (thin outer layer)

   Synonym: tongada

2. (Argentina, Colombia) task, job
3. (Canary Islands, Cuba) heap, pile

Derived terms

• entongar
• tongada

 

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

tonga m or f by sense (plural tongas)

1. a member of the Tonga people of southern Africa

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Tongan Tonga, from Samoan toga (“southern”).

Noun

tonga m or f by sense (plural tongas)

1. Tongan (native or inhabitant of Tonga)

Further reading

• “tonga”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Turkish

Etymology

Unknown.

Noun

tonga (definite accusative tongayı, plural tongalar)

1. (slang) cheating, trick