tongo

See also: Tongo

Portuguese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtõ.ɡu/

• Hyphenation: ton‧go

Adjective

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

Noun

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

Further reading

• “tongo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Spanish

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

Noun

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.

Derived terms

• tongonear

Etymology 2

Uncertain

Noun

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

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

Further reading

• “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

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From English tongue.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈto.ŋo/

Noun

tongo

1. language, tongue

Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Noun

tongo class V (plural matongo class VI)

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

Tongan

Etymology

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

Noun

tongó

1. mangrove, esp. of species Rhizophora mangle

   Naʻe lahi ‘a e tongó ‘i Haʻapaí ni.

   There were a lot of mangroves in Haʻapai.