Tonkin

Ton·kin

 (tŏn′kĭn′, tŏng′-)

A historical region of southeast Asia on the Gulf of Tonkin, an arm of the South China Sea, now forming most of northern Vietnam. It was part of French Indochina from 1887 to 1946.

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Ton′kin·ese′ (-ēz′, -ēs′) adj. & n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Tonkin

(ˈtɒnˈkɪn) or

Tongking

n

1. (Placename) a former state of N French Indochina (1883–1946), on the Gulf of Tonkin: forms the largest part of N Vietnam

2. (Placename) Gulf of Tonkin an arm of the South China Sea, bordered by N Vietnam, the Leizhou Peninsula of SW China, and Hainan Island. Length: about 500 km (300 miles)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Ton•kin

(ˈtɒnˈkɪn, ˈtɒŋ-)

also Tongking

n.

1. a former state in N French Indochina, now part of Vietnam.

2. Gulf of, an arm of the South China Sea, W of Hainan. 300 mi. (485 km) long.

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