tongo

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “is it related to tchongo?”)

• Hyphenation: ton‧go

tongo (feminine tonga, masculine plural tongos, feminine plural tongas)

1. (informal, of a person) stupid, idiotic

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota

2. (informal, of a person) naïve, gullible

tongo m (plural tongos, feminine tonga, feminine plural tongas)

1. (informal, of a person) a foolish person; a dunce; an idiot

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota

2. (informal, of a person) a naïve or gullible person

   Synonym: ingênuo

• “tongo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

• IPA^(key): /ˈtonɡo/ [ˈt̪õŋ.ɡo]
• Rhymes: -onɡo
• Syllabification: ton‧go

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

tongo m (plural tongos)

1. (colloquial) fraud; farce
   • 1993, José Luis Benítez, Chafanto, o, El encuentro de la imagen sobre el espejo mágico:

     La política es un tongo que se cree en el sublime derecho, pero divino derecho, de ser atendida, escuchada y alabada, y que piensa que todo el mundo trabaja para su exclusivo fin. A cambio de ello, ofrece miseria y padecimiento […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2015, Federico Jiménez Losantos, Los años perdidos de Mariano Rajoy:

     Otro tongo en el debate electoral. Rajoy y Rubalcaba pactaron no hablar de corrupción.

     Another farce in the electoral debate. Rajoy and Rubalcaba made a pact not to talk of corruption.

Uncertain

tongo m (plural tongos, feminine tonga, feminine plural tongas)

1. (Panama, slang, derogatory) police officer; cop.

• “tongo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

From English tongue.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtoŋo/, [ˈtʊ̞ŋʊ̞], [ˈtɔ̝ŋɔ̝]

tongo

1. tongue (flexible muscular organ in the mouth)
   • 1917, Jac. van Ginneken, J. Endepols, editors, De regenboogkleuren van Nederlands taal‎^[1], Nijmegen: L.C.G. Malmberg, page 241:

     Ba Anansi figi hem baroeba en leki hem tongo en a soekoe hem pasi foe go praktiserie ho fasi a sa seti hem koni streki foe wini Asaw.

     [Ba Anansi figi en barba èn leki en tongo èn a suku en pasi fu go prakseri ofasi a sa seti en koni streki fu wini Asaw.]

     Brother Anansi wiped his beard, licked his tongue, and went on his way to ponder how he would set his cunning traps to defeat Elephant.

   • 1936, Melville J. Herskovits, Frances S. Herskovits, Suriname folk-lore‎^[2], New York: Columbia University Press, page 466:

     Tɛ yu naki kapa lasi, yu dɛ yɛre bɔrimąn tɔ̨ŋgo.

     [Te yu naki kapalasi, yu e yere boriman tongo.]

     What goes around, comes around.

     (literally, “When you hit the underside of the sugar boiling copper, you'll hear the [clicking of the] boiler's tongue.”)

   • 1953 July 18, Albert Helman, “Fos'tem-tori [Olden days story]”, in Het Nieuws‎^[3], Paramaribo: A.J. Morpurgo, page 6:

     So, a–was' en tongo feerie / no–mo di a hopo stem, / alla liebi–soema skreki / fa a bari lek' djendjen (.)

     [So, awansi en tongo feiri / nomo di a opo sten / ala libisma skreki / fa a babari leki gengen]

     So, although his tongue was filed / the moment he raised his voice / all people got startled / by how he made a noise like a bell

2. language, tongue
   • 1968, R. Dobru, “wan [One]”, in Shrinivási, editor, Wortoe d'e tan abra. Bloemlezing uit de Surinaamse poëzie vanaf 1957 [Words that remain. Anthology of Surinamese poetry since 1957]‎^[4], Paramaribo: Bureau Volkslektuur, published 1970, page 48:

     Wan Sranan / someni wiwiri / someni skin / someni tongo / Wan pipel.

     One Suriname / so many hair [types] / so many skin [colours] / so many tongues / One people.

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tuŋaw (“tiny red itch mite”).

Cognate to Malay tungau.

tongo

1. mite

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

tongo class V (plural matongo class VI)

1. flock of birds
2. a mannequin or decoy in the shape of a bird

From Proto-Polynesian *toŋo, from Proto-Oceanic *toŋoʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *təŋəʀ.

tongó

1. mangrove, esp. of species Rhizophora mangle

   Naʻe lahi ‘a e tongó ‘i Haʻapaí ni.

   There were a lot of mangroves in Haʻapai.