Definify.com

Webster 1828 Edition

Tung

TUNG

,
Noun.
[Ant.L. tingua; digitus and dug. Our common orthography is incorrect; the true spelling is tung.]
1.
In man, the instrument of taste, and the chief instrument of speech; and in other animals,the instrument of taste. It is also an instrument of deglutition. In some animals,the tongue is used for drawing the food into the mouth, as in animals of the bovine genus, &c. Other animals lap their drink, as dogs.
The tongue is covered with membranes, and the outer one is full of papillae of a pyramidical figure, under which lies a thin, soft, reticular coat perforated with innumerable holes,and always lined with a thick and white or yellowish mucus.
2.
Speech; discourse; sometimes, fluency of speech.
Much tongue and much judgment seldom go together.
3.
The power of articulate utterance; speech.
Parrots imitating human tongue.
4.
Speech, as well or ill used; mode of speaking.
Keep a good tongue in thy head.
The tongue of the wise is health. Prov.12.
5.
A language; the whole sum of words used by a particular nation. The English tongue, within two hundred years, will probably be spoken by two or three hundred millions of people in North America.
6.
Speech; words or declarations only; opposed to thoughts or actions.
Let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3.
7.
A nation, as distinguished by their language.
I will gather all nations and tongues. Is.66.
8.
A point; a projection; as the tongue of a buckle or of a balance.
9.
A point or long narrow strip of land, projecting from the main into a sea or a lake.
10. The taper part of any thing; in the rigging of a ship, a short piece of rope spliced into the upper part of standing backstays, &c. to the size of the mast-head.
To hold the tongue, to be silent.

Definition 2024

Tung

Tung

See also: tung and từng

German Low German

Noun

Tung f (plural Tungen)

  1. tongue

Derived terms

References

  • Der neue SASS: Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch, Plattdeutsch - Hochdeutsch, Hochdeutsch - Plattdeutsch. Plattdeutsche Rechtschreibung, sixth revised edition (2011, ISBN 978-3-529-03000-0, Wachholtz Verlag, Neumünster)

Plautdietsch

Noun

Tung f ‎(plural Tunge)

  1. tongue

tung

tung

See also: Tung and từng

English

Alternative forms

Noun

tung ‎(plural tungs)

  1. Obsolete spelling of tongue
    • 1557 July 16, John Cheke, “"Inkhorn" terms: Sir John Cheke”, in Univ of Victoria, Canada, retrieved 2012-09-29:
      I am of this opinion that our own tung shold be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges, …
    • 1790, Noah Webster, “The Founders' Constitution Vol 1, Chap 15, Doc 44”, in Univ. of Chicago, retrieved 2012-09-29:
      … ever exposed to their envy, and the tung of slander …
    • 1832, Noah Webster, Edmund Henry Barker, A Dictionary of the English Language, Digitized edition, Black and Young, published 2010, page 542:
      Our common orthography is incorrect; the true spelling is tung.
    • 1848, Jonathan Morgan, The New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Digitized edition, SH Colesworthy, published 2008, page 215:
      … words to be spoken with the understanding, that I may teach others also, than myriads of words, in a tung. ... In the law, it hath been written, That, with other tungs and other lips I will speak to this people, and then they will not hear ...
    • 1872, Hugh Rowley, Sage stuffing for green goslings; or, Saws for the goose and saws, Digitized edition, published 2006, page 159:
      If they've got anything to say which they want you to hear, let 'em say it out; if not, hold their tungs.
    • 2002 Fall, Richard Whelan, quoting Melvil Dewey, “The American Spelling Reform Movement”, in Verbatim, The Language Quarterly, volume XXVII, number 4, ISSN 0162–0932, page 5:
      English has strength, simplicity, conciseness, capacity for taking words freely from other tungs, and best of all has the greatest literature the world has yet produced.
References
  • Webster's 1828 Dictionary, tung
  • Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Supplement, Vol. XII, Page 1387, tung, tungd

Etymology 2

From Chinese 桐 (tóng).

Noun

tung ‎(plural tungs)

  1. A tung tree.
Translations
Derived terms

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology

Shortened from tungjatjeta.

Pronunciation

/'tung/ or /'tʊng/

Interjection

tung

  1. (informal) hi

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tɔnɡ/, [tˢɔŋˀ]

Adjective

tung

  1. heavy

Inflection

Inflection of tung
Positive Comparative Superlative
Common singular tung tungere tungest2
Neuter singular tungt tungere tungest2
Plural tunge tungere tungest2
Definite attributive1 tunge tungere tungeste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old English tung, tunge ‎(“tongue, language”)

Noun

tung (plural tungs or tungen)

  1. tongue
  2. tongue shaped thing
  3. language, speech
    He ðe is godes wisdom, ðurh hwam bieð alle wittes and ælle wisdomes and alle tungen spekinde; he lai alswa ðat child ðe nan god ne cann, ne speken ne mai. — Dialogue on Vices and Virtues, c1225

References

  • Middle English Dictionary

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, from Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

Adjective

tung ‎(neuter singular tungt, definite singular and plural tunge, comparative tyngre or tungere, indefinite superlative tyngst or tungest, definite superlative tyngste or tungeste)

  1. heavy

Derived terms

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tʊŋg/ (example of pronunciation)

Adjective

tung ‎(masculine and feminine tung, neuter tungt, definite singular and plural tunge, comparative tyngre, indefinite superlative tyngst, definite superlative tyngste)

  1. heavy
    Ryggsekken verkar berre tyngre og tyngre.
    The rucksack just feels heavier and heavier.
  2. hard, difficult
    Dette var ei tung tid for dei.
    This was a difficult time for them.
  3. tired, unwell
    Eg kjenner meg tung i kroppen.
    My body feels tired.

Derived terms

References

Old High German

Etymology

Cognate with Old English dung, Icelandic dyngja

Noun

tung m

  1. a barn covered with dung
  2. an underground cellar

Scots

Noun

tung ‎(plural tungs)

  1. (anatomy) tongue

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse þungr, Proto-Germanic *þunguz.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tɵŋ/

Adjective

tung (comparative tyngre, superlative tyngst)

  1. heavy; a physical body of great weight
  2. important
    Hon spelar en tung roll i stiftelsen
    She plays an important role in the foundation

Declension

Inflection of tung
Indefinite/attributive Positive Comparative Superlative2
Common singular tung tyngre tyngst
Neuter singular tungt tyngre tyngst
Plural tunga tyngre tyngst
Definite Positive Comparative Superlative
Masculine singular1 tunge tyngre tyngste
All tunga tyngre tyngsta
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.
2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in an attributive role.

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

Verb

tung

  1. toss, throw

Derived terms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [tʊŋ]

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