Definition of "Tonkin"

Tonkin¹

proper noun
plural Tonkins
1. A surname transferred from the given name.

Tonkin²

proper noun
1. (archaic) Synonym of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.
2. (historical) A former kingdom in northern Vietnam.
3. (historical) A former protectorate in northern Vietnam, a colony of France.
4. Short for Gulf of Tonkin, a gulf in northern Vietnam.
5. Short for Gulf of Tonkin incident, a 1964 event used to increase US involvement in the Vietnamese Civil War.