From PIE *denk- (to bite)—tongs are etymologically 'biters,' a gripping tool named for its jaw-like action.
A tool with two movable arms joined at one end, used for gripping, lifting, or turning hot or delicate objects.
From Old English 'tange, tang,' from Proto-Germanic *tangō (tongs, that which bites), from PIE *denk- (to bite). Tongs are etymologically 'biters'—a tool that grips like teeth. Always plural because the tool has two arms. Key roots