Gong
/ɡɒŋ/noun
A large metal disk that makes a deep resonant sound when struck.
Did you know?The English word entered via Malay/Indonesian contact with Southeast Asia, but the instrument itself is far older and deeply tied to ritual, court music, and sacred processions across the region.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Malayic
Austronesian
*gong
“a metal percussion instrument, especially a resonant disk or bossed gong”
Malay
Malay
gong
“a gong; a resonant metal percussion instrument”
Javanese
Javanese
gong
“a gong used in gamelan and ceremonial music”
16th-17th Century
English
gong
“a large East and Southeast Asian metal percussion instrument”
Modern English
English
gong
“a large flat metal disk struck with a mallet to produce a booming sound”