Tong
/tɒŋ/noun
A Chinese-American secret society or fraternal association, historically sometimes involved in organized crime.
Did you know?In Cantonese communities, tong organizations could function as mutual-aid societies, but some became associated with violent rivalries and the infamous tong wars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
堂
“A hall or principal room in a building”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
堂
“A hall, court, or ancestral ceremonial space”
19th Century
Cantonese
tong4
“A hall, association, or organized society”
19th Century
English
tong
“A Chinese secret society, especially in North America”
Modern English
English
tong
“A Chinese-American fraternal or secret society, sometimes associated with organized crime”