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tonga

1 American  
[tong-guh] / ˈtɒŋ gə /

noun

  1. a light, two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle used in India.


Tonga 2 American  
[tong-guh] / ˈtɒŋ gə /

noun

  1. a Polynesian kingdom consisting of three groups of islands in the S Pacific, NE of New Zealand: a former British protectorate. About 270 sq. mi. (700 sq. km). Nukualofa.


Tonga 1 British  
/ ˈtɒŋə, ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

  1. a member of a Negroid people of S central Africa, living chiefly in Zambia and Zimbabwe

  2. the language of this people, belonging to the Bantu group of the Niger-Congo family

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Tonga 2 British  
/ ˈtɒŋə, ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

  1. Also called: Friendly Islands.  a kingdom occupying an archipelago of more than 150 volcanic and coral islands in the SW Pacific, east of Fiji: inhabited by Polynesians; became a British protectorate in 1900 and gained independence in 1970; a member of the Commonwealth. Official languages: Tongan and English. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: pa'anga. Capital: Nuku'alofa. Pop: 106 322 (2013 est). Area: 750 sq km (290 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tonga 3 British  
/ ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

  1. a light two-wheeled vehicle used in rural areas of India

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tonga

First recorded in 1870–75, tonga is from the Hindi word tāṅgā

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I suppose their might be a risk of some of the potential GB players competing for their home countries - tonga, samoa, south africa, new zealand, holland etc. but i'm sure it'll be good.

From The Guardian • Aug. 7, 2012

"Na, na, damchee, na, na, damchee! " wailed the tongawalla to a British officer, who was trying to rent his two-wheeled tonga at an air base in India.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Observe," said he, "there can be only one road, and if I hit it we are all right, and I'll show you what the tonga can do."

From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Kipling, Rudyard

It was an aram tonga, a tonga for ease.

From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Kipling, Rudyard

There was a consultation and an examination of the wheel, but the whole tonga was rotten, and the axle was smashed and the axle pins were bent and nearly red-hot.

From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Kipling, Rudyard