Tongue Definition

tŭng

tongued, tongues, tonguing

noun

tongues

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.

Webster's New World

An analogous part in invertebrate animals.

Webster's New World

An animal's tongue used as food.

Webster's New World

Ideas expressed by speaking; talk; speech.

Webster's New World

The act or power of speaking.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
artificial language

verb

tongued, tongues, tonguing

To talk or talk much.

Webster's New World

To separate or articulate (notes played on a brass or wind instrument) by shutting off the stream of air with the tongue.

American Heritage

To speak or say.

Webster's New World

To touch, lick, etc. with the tongue.

Webster's New World

To project like a tongue.

Webster's New World

idiom

have

To speak deceitfully; prevaricate or lie.

American Heritage

bite

To be or keep silent.

American Heritage

loosen (someone's) tongue

To cause (someone) to speak freely or carelessly or to divulge information.

American Heritage

lose (one's) tongue

To lose the capacity to speak, as from shock.

American Heritage

on the tip of (one's) tongue

On the verge of being recalled or expressed.

American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Tongue

Noun

Singular:

tongue

Plural:

tongues

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Tongue

have
bite
loosen (someone's) tongue
lose (one's) tongue
on the tip of (one's) tongue
find one's tongue
hold one's tongue
on everyone's tongue
on the tip of someone's tongue
speak in tongues
with tongue in cheek

Origin of Tongue

From Middle English tonge, tunge, tung, from Old English tunge, from Proto-Germanic *tungÇ (“tongue") (compare West Frisian tonge, Dutch tong, German Zunge, Danish tunge, Swedish tunga), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéhâ‚‚s (compare Irish teanga, Latin lingua, Tocharian A/B känt/kantwo, Lithuanian liežùvis, Polish jÄ™zyk 'language, tongue', Armenian Õ¬Õ¥Õ¦Õ¸Ö‚ (lezu), Sanskrit जिह्वा (jihvā́)).

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English tunge dn̥ghū- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition