tang

Where does the word "tang" come from? It comes from Old Norse tangi, passing through Middle English before entering English (1590s).

Tang’s story begins in Old Norse: tangi meant “point, spike.” A point or tongue of land; also the spike of a blade that fits into its handle. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as tange. The tongue of a blade or the sting of an insect. It reached English by 1590s as tang. From a stinging point it came to mean a sharp taste. Today, tang means a strong sharp taste or smell.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval tangi "point, spike", a point or tongue of land; also the spike of a blade that fits into its handle.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1300s tange "spike, sting", the tongue of a blade or the sting of an insect.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s tang "sharp taste", from a stinging point it came to mean a sharp taste.