Tongan

[ tong-guhn ]

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Tonga.
2. a Polynesian language, the language of the Tongans.

adjective

1. of or relating to Tonga, its people, or their language.

ˈTongan

/ ˈtɒŋən /

adjective

1. of or relating to the kingdom of Tonga, its inhabitants, or their language

noun

1. a member of the people that inhabits Tonga
2. the language of this people, belonging to the Polynesian family

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tongan¹

First recorded in 1890–95; Tong(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Photos of the Tongan islands show thick layers of ash blanketing the nation.

From Popular-Science

Experts say the Tongan volcano is capable of producing an explosion that massive roughly every 1,000 years, akin to a weapons-grade chemical explosion.

From Washington Post

As of May 2021, Fonua was not the top Tongan swimmer that would be selected for the Olympic team.

From Washington Blade

The last time the Blade checked in with out Tongan swimmer Amini Fonua, he was in heavy training to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and struggling with the funding needed to complete that journey.

From Washington Blade

He threw down a time in the 100 meter breaststroke that moved him past the top Tongan swimmer based on FINA points and qualified him for his third Olympics.

From Washington Blade

Two months before my visit Ratu Lala had lost his eldest daughter (by his Tongan wife).

From Project Gutenberg

And with the new agreement between England and Germany the last prop to Tongan independence had been cut away.

From Project Gutenberg

The faces of the king's suite were all familiar, for they had been my own colleagues when I was a Tongan like themselves.

From Project Gutenberg

It was clear that it had come from another part of the Pacific, for the Tongan celts are wedge-shaped, angular, and roughly made.

From Project Gutenberg

Someone had given him a Hebrew book to look at, and in one page he had found no less than six Tongan words.

From Project Gutenberg