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 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) Also calledFriendly Islands

tonga

²

/ ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

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

Tonga

³

/ ˈtɒŋə; ˈtɒŋɡə /

noun

1. -gas-ga 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

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

There is a now an annual competition in the southern hemisphere, as the NRL has worked with International Rugby League to establish the Pacific Championships for men's and women's national teams, while Tonga made a historic visit to England in 2023 and Samoa have followed in 2024.

From BBC

In August, she and my brother set out for Tonga—a country consisting of dozens of islands in the South Pacific—as part of an expedition organized by Desert Island Survival.

From Slate

As for location, she said, she wasn’t specifically looking for Tonga but she had wanted to do somewhere tropical because she “didn’t want to deal with cold weather.”

From Slate

The 11-day Tonga trip is nearly $5,000 a person, and that’s excluding the cost of getting there.

From Slate

A native of Tonga who moved to Southern California, Toia said he felt he was on a quest to be the best at everything he does.

From Los Angeles Times