tonga

¹

[tong-guh]

noun

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

Tonga

²

[tong-guh]

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

/ 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

Tonga

²

/ 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)

tonga

³

/ ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonga¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tonga¹

C19: from Hindi tāngā

Example Sentences

Walters hopes a closely fought NRL play-off series will sharpen up his players for the rigours of a tour against an England side who have dispatched Tonga and Samoa in successive series.

From BBC

Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Australia, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand and Tonga were all warned of possible smaller tsunami wave activity between 1m-3m.

From BBC

The Queens in Code: Symbols of Women's Power post includes a photograph of a woman from the Tonga community in southern Zambia.

From BBC

Ma'asi-White's father Viliami, who represented Tonga at 2003 Rugby World Cup, played with Manu's brother Anitelea at Leeds in the latter stages of his career.

From BBC

St. Helens erupted in 1980, 57 people died; and when the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano in Tonga’s archipelago exploded in 2022 — a once-in-a-century event — the resulting tsunami, which reached a maximum height of 72 feet, caused damage across the Pacific Ocean and left at least six dead.

From Los Angeles Times