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

  1. An instrument or tool used for picking things up...

Ancestry of “tongs”, 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

Words derived from “tongs”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s →Every word from Proto-Germanic tungǭ →Every word from Proto-West Germanic tungā →