tonga

¹ American  

[tong-guh] / ˈtɒŋ gə /

noun

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

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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.

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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

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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)

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tonga ³ British  

/ ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of tonga

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

Example Sentences

The team reports that inhabited islands in Western Polynesia, including Samoa and Tonga, experienced drying over time.

From Science Daily

Tonga and Zimbabwe are far more friendly Pool F opposition than a worst-case scenario of Georgia, winners at Principality Stadium in 2022 and itching to make a point over a potential place in the Six Nations, and Samoa, who inflicted famous World Cup defeats on Wales in 1991 and 1999.

From BBC

England and Wales have been paired together in the pool stages of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, with Tonga and minnows Zimbabwe rounding out Pool F.

From BBC

When Tonga’s single-cable connection was cut in 2022 by a seabed landslide following an underwater volcanic eruption, the country’s ATMs shut down because banks couldn’t check balances; farmers couldn’t export their produce; and schoolchildren could not have online lessons amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

From The Wall Street Journal

He visits a cable landing station in Tonga expecting a technological epiphany, but finds only “air-conditioned disappointment” in a concrete closet.

From The Wall Street Journal