Tongue

From open-dictionary.com - the free dictionary.

Table of contents

1 English

1.1 Etymology
1.2 Noun
1.3 Synonyms

1.3.1 Translations

1.3.1.1 Translations to be checked

1.4 Related terms

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old English tunge. Cognates include Latin lingua.

Noun

tongue (plural tongues)

The flexible muscular organ in the mouth that is used to move food around, for tasting and that is moved into various positions to modify the flow of air from the lungs in order to produce different sounds in speech.
A language.
He was speaking in his native tongue.

Synonyms

(language): language, lingo (colloquial)

Translations

organ

Breton: teod m -où plural
Estonian: keel
Finnish: kieli
French: langue f
German: Zunge f
Hebrew: לשון f

Italian: lingua f
Japanese: 舌 (した, shita), べろ (bero, informal)
Korean: 혀 (hyeo)
Romanian: limbă f
Russian: язык m
Spanish: lengua f

language See language

Translations to be checked

The translations below need to be checked by native speakers and inserted into the appropriate table(s) above. The numbering is unreliable.

Chinese: 舌 (she), 舌頭/舌头 (shetou)
Dutch: tong f
Frisian: tonge
Greek, Modern: γλώσσα f
Guarani: kũ
Indonesian: lidah
Interlingua: lingua
Portuguese: língua f
Slovene: jezik m
Urdu: زبان (Zubaan)

Related terms

mother tongue
speak in tongues
tongue depressor
tongue sandwich
tongue-tied
tongue twister
tongue and groove

WordNet Definitions

eight

1. tongue, lingua, glossa, clapper -- (a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity).
2. natural language, tongue -- (a human written or spoken language used by a community; opposed to e.g. a computer language).
3. tongue, knife -- (any long thin projection that is transient; "tongues of flame licked at the walls"; "rifles exploded quick knives of fire into the dark").
4. tongue -- (a manner of speaking; "he spoke with a thick tongue"; "she has a glib tongue").
5. spit, tongue -- (a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea).
6. tongue -- (the tongue of certain animals used as meat).
7. tongue -- (the flap of material under the laces of a shoe or boot).
8. clapper, tongue -- (metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by hitting the side).

two

1. tongue -- (articulate by tonguing, as when playing wind instruments).
2. tongue -- (lick or explore with the tongue).

About Open Dictionary

Open Dictionary

New Frontier Information Network

open-dictionary.com

Mozilla Firefox

Opera

Microsoft Internet Explorer