Etymology

gong

G2O1N1G2

Today it means: A percussion instrument consisting of a metal disk that emits a loud resonant sound when struck with a soft hammer. Full definition →

Malay gong ← ['ms gong
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gong · noun, verb1

  1. ['ms · borrowed fromgong
  2. Malay · borrowed fromgong
  3. English todaygong

Borrowed from Malay gong (possibly onomatopoeic).

gong · noun2

  1. Old English · inherited fromgong
  2. Middle English · inherited fromgong
  3. English todaygong

From Middle English gong, from Old English gong, where it was originally a variant of the noun gang (“a going, walk, journey, way, etc.”), derived from the verb gangan (“to go, walk, travel”), whose relation to go in Proto-Germanic remains unclear. Doublet of gang.

gong · noun3

  1. Mandarin · borrowed from功“merit; achievement”
  2. English todaygong

From Mandarin 功 (gōng, “merit; achievement”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.