Where does “tongs” come from?
tongs (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.
tongs (English): An instrument or tool used for picking things up...
Definitions
- An instrument or tool used for picking things up...
Ancestry of “tongs”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | tong | An instrument or tool used for manipulating... |
| 2 | Middle English | tonge | Alternative form of tung |
| 3 | Old English | tung | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | tungā | tongue; speech, language |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tungǭ | tongue; speech, language |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s | tongue |
Words derived from “tongs”