- the movable muscular structure attached to the floor of the mouth in most vertebrates: it is an important organ in the ingestion of food, the perception of taste, and, in humans, the articulation of speech sounds
- an analogous part in invertebrate animals; specif.,
- a radula
- the proboscis in certain insects, as bees
- an animal's tongue used as food
- the human tongue as the organ of speech
- ideas expressed by speaking; talk; speech
- the act or power of speaking
- a manner or style of speaking, with reference to tone, diction, etc.: a glib tongue
- a language or dialect
- in the Bible, a nation or people speaking a distinct language: Rev. 7:9
- [pl.] see glossolalia
- the cry of a hunting dog, etc. in sight of game: chiefly in give tongue, to start barking
- something resembling a tongue in shape, position, movement, or use; specif.,
- the flap under the laces or strap of a shoe
- the clapper of a bell
- the pin of a buckle, etc.
- the pole of a wagon, etc.
- a projecting ridge along the edge of a board, that fits into a corresponding groove on another board to form a tongue-and-groove joint
- in machines, a projecting flange, rib, etc.
- a thin strip of flexible material, as cane, that produces a musical sound when vibrated, as in a wind instrument
- a narrow strip of land, ice, etc. extending into a body of water, an intrusion, etc.
- a narrow inlet of water
- a long, narrow flame
- the pointer of a scale, etc.
Origin of tongue
Middle English tunge from OE, akin to German zunge from Indo-European base an unverified form d??h?-, tongue from source Classical Latin lingua (OL dingua)transitive verb
tongued, tongu′ing- Archaic
- to reproach or scold
- to speak or say
- to touch, lick, etc. with the tongue
- to cut a tongue (sense ) on
- to join by means of a tongue-and-groove joint
- Music to play by tonguing
- Rare to talk or talk much
- to project like a tongue
- Music to use tonguing
tongue Idioms
find one's tongue
to recover the ability to talk, as after shock or embarrassment
hold one's tongue
to refrain from speaking
on everyone's tongue
prevailing as common gossip
on the tip of someone's tongue
- almost said by someone
- about to be said, esp. because almost but not quite recalled
speak in tongues
to engage in glossolalia
with tongue in cheek
in a humorously ironic, mocking, or insincere way
