tongs

Etymology 1

tong ("tool for manipulating things in a fire") + -s

noun

1. An instrument or tool used for picking things up without touching them with the hands or fingers, consisting of two slats or grips hinged at the end or in the middle, and sometimes including a spring to open the grips.
2. (by extension) A large scissors-like two-piece center-hinged forged-iron implement with oval-loop handles and with pointed tips turned inward (in the same plane as and perpendicular to the handles) to facilitate lifting and carrying a block of ice. Often called ice tongs.

Etymology 2

noun

1. plural of tong (“instrument”)

Etymology 3

verb

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of tong

Etymology 4

noun

1. plural of tong (“Chinese secret society”)