Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tonger” come from?

tonger (English) comes from English tong, from Middle English tonge, from Old English tung, from Proto-West Germanic tungā, from Proto-Germanic tungǭ, from Proto-Indo-European dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s — tongue.

tonger (English): A tongman

Definitions

  1. A tongman

Ancestry of “tonger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtongAn instrument or tool used for manipulating...
2Middle EnglishtongeAlternative form of tung
3Old Englishtung—
4Proto-West Germanictungātongue; speech, language
5Proto-Germanictungǭtongue; speech, language
6Proto-Indo-Europeandn̥ǵʰwéh₂stongue
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s →