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• tang
  tang

  noun

  a strong taste or flavor.
• T'ang
  T'ang

  noun

  a dynasty in China, a.d. 618–907, marked by territorial expansion, the invention of printing, and the high development of poetry.
• Tang
  Tang

  noun

  the imperial dynasty of China from 618–907 _ad

tang

¹ American  

[tang] / tæŋ /

noun

1. 

   a strong taste or flavor.

   Synonyms:

   savor

2. the distinctive flavor or quality of a thing.

3. a pungent or distinctive odor.

4. a touch or suggestion of something; slight trace.

   Synonyms:

   hint, taste

5. a long and slender projecting strip, tongue, or prong forming part of an object, as a chisel, file, or knife, and serving as a means of attachment for another part, as a handle or stock.

6. a surgeonfish.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a tang.

tang ² American  

[tang] / tæŋ /

noun

1. a sharp ringing or twanging sound; clang.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to ring or twang; clang.

T'ang ³ American  

[tahng] / tɑŋ /

Or Tang

noun

1. a dynasty in China, a.d. 618–907, marked by territorial expansion, the invention of printing, and the high development of poetry.

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tang ¹ British  

/ tæŋ /

noun

1. a strong taste or flavour

   the tang of the sea

2. a pungent or characteristic smell

   the tang of peat fires

3. a trace, touch, or hint of something

   a tang of cloves in the apple pie

4. the pointed end of a tool, such as a chisel, file, knife, etc, which is fitted into a handle, shaft, or stock

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Tang ² British  

/ tæŋ /

noun

1. the imperial dynasty of China from 618–907 _ad

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Etymology

Origin of tang¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tange “tongue of a snake, projection on a tool,” perhaps from Old Norse tangi “projection, headland, tang of a blade”

Origin of tang²

First recorded in 1660–70; imitative; see ting ¹

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Explanation

A tang is a sharp flavor or smell, like the tang of fresh-squeezed lemonade or the tang of the salty ocean breeze. When you eat something sour, you taste a tang, like the tang of blue cheese or vinegar in your salad. Although it's no longer available today, Tang was also the name of a tangy, sugary orange drink that was especially popular in the 1960s and 70s. From a root word meaning "to bite," tang's original meaning was "serpent's tongue."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tang T'ang Tang

Tom Nolan reports that Martin Limón’s crime story delivers “a bracing pace and the aftershave tang of a great 1950s paperback.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

It adds tang, salinity, and helps loosen the dip to your ideal consistency.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

The buttery, milder fish compliments the tang of the tomatoes and the bright balsamic dressing that finishes the salad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

“You won’t miss the statue,” the clerk said, the slightest tang of exasperation in his tone.

From Slate ● Jun. 2, 2026

It was a simple thing with but one tang.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

References to “domino cards” existed as early as the T’ang Dynasty, which lasted from 618-907 AD.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 3, 2023

From the hand-painted cards of T’ang Dynasty China to paper-and-plastic Pokémon trading cards, the history of playing cards spans cultures, epochs, and continents.

From National Geographic ● Nov. 3, 2023

By the time the Pekingese had become a proper breed during the T’ang dynasty, only the Chinese imperial family was allowed to keep them.

From Time ● Feb. 15, 2012

One was Mao's favorite niece, Wang Hai-jung, a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; the other was American-educated Nancy T'ang, the late Chairman's trusted interpreter.

From Time Magazine Archive

Probably looking at the moon and reciting some poem from the T’ang Dynasty.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

For a late-summer trip to Qingdao with her parents, Tang Hong had a fairly particular lodging wish list.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Derek Tang, co-founder of forecasting firm LH Meyer, said the market has a very difficult time understanding when the rate hikes will end.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026

Jessica Tang says she felt the weight of academic expectation from an early age growing up in Shanghai.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Tang said he hoped AI was "a rising tide that lifts all boats, because... a healthy innovation ecosystem needs to be able to have strength in as many areas of technology as possible".

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Later, Father would return it to the Tang man in San Francisco who had agreed to buy it.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

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