tongue
n 1: a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous
membrane and located in the oral cavity [syn: tongue,
lingua, glossa, clapper]
2: a human written or spoken language used by a community;
opposed to e.g. a computer language [syn: natural language,
tongue] [ant: artificial language]
3: any long thin projection that is transient; "tongues of flame
licked at the walls"; "rifles exploded quick knives of fire
into the dark" [syn: tongue, knife]
4: a manner of speaking; "he spoke with a thick tongue"; "she
has a glib tongue"
5: a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea [syn:
spit, tongue]
6: the tongue of certain animals used as meat
7: the flap of material under the laces of a shoe or boot
8: metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by
hitting the side [syn: clapper, tongue]
v 1: articulate by tonguing, as when playing wind instruments
2: lick or explore with the tongue
tongue
O.E. tunge "organ of speech, speech, language," from P.Gmc. *tungon,
from PIE *dnghwa-. Meaning "foreign language" is from 1535. Tongue-tied
is first recorded 1529; tongue-in-cheek is modern, but the notion behind
it is obscure.
tongue I. nounEtymology: Middle English tunge, from Old English; akin
to Old High German zunga tongue, Latin linguaDate:
before 12th century 1.a. a fleshy movable muscular process of the floor of the mouths
of most vertebrates that bears sensory end organs and small glands and
functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in humans as a
speech organ b. a part of various invertebrate animals that is
analogous to the tongue
2. the flesh of a tongue (as of the ox or sheep) used as food
3. the power of communication through speech 4.a.language; especially a spoken language b.
manner or quality of utterance with respect to tone or sound, the sense of
what is expressed, or the intention of the speaker <she has a clever
tongue> <a sharp tongue> c. ecstatic usually
unintelligible utterance usually accompanying religious excitation —
usually used in plural d. the cry of or as if of a hound pursuing
or in sight of game — used especially in the phrase to give tongue5. a tapering flame <tongues of fire> 6.
a long narrow strip of land projecting into a body of water 7.
something resembling an animal's tongue in being elongated and fastened at
one end only: as
a. a movable pin in a buckle b. a metal ball suspended inside
a bell so as to strike against the sides as the bell is swung c.
the pole of a vehicle d. the flap under the lacing or buckles of
a shoe at the throat of the vamp
8.a. the rib on one edge of a board that fits into a
corresponding groove in an edge of another board to make a flush joint
b.feather 4
• tonguelikeadjectiveII. verb (tongued;
tonguing)
Date: 14th century transitive verb1.archaicscold2. to touch or lick with or as
if with the tongue 3.a. to cut a tongue on <tongue a board> b.
to join (as boards) by means of a tongue and groove <tongue
flooring together>
4. to articulate (notes) by tonguing intransitive verb1. to project in a tongue 2. to articulate notes on a wind
instrument by successively interrupting the stream of wind with the action
of the tongue
tongue n. & v. --n. 1 the fleshy muscular organ in the mouth used in tasting, licking, and swallowing, and (in man) for speech. 2 the tongue of an ox etc. as food. 3 the faculty of or a
tendency in speech (a sharp tongue). 4 a particular language (the German tongue). 5 a thing like a tongue in shape or position, esp.: a a long low promontory. b a strip of leather etc., attached
at one end only, under the laces in a shoe. c the clapper of a bell. d the pin of a buckle. e the projecting strip on a wooden etc. board fitting into the groove of another. f a vibrating slip in
the reed of some musical instruments. g a jet of flame. --v. (tongues, tongued, tonguing) 1 tr. produce staccato etc. effects with (a flute etc.) by means of tonguing. 2 intr. use the tongue
in this way. Phrases and idioms: find (or lose) one's tongue be able (or unable) to express oneself after a shock etc. the gift of tongues the power of speaking in unknown languages,
regarded as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). keep a civil tongue in one's head avoid rudeness. tongue-and-groove applied to boards in which a tongue along one edge fits into a groove
along the edge of the next, each board having a tongue on one edge and a groove on the other. tongue-in-cheek adj. ironic; slyly humorous. --adv. insincerely or ironically. tongue-lashing a severe
scolding or reprimand. tongue-tie a speech impediment due to a malformation of the tongue. tongue-tied 1 too shy or embarrassed to speak. 2 having a tongue-tie. tongue-twister a sequence of
words difficult to pronounce quickly and correctly. with one's tongue hanging out eagerly or expectantly. with one's tongue in one's cheek insincerely or ironically. Derivatives: tongued
adj. (also in comb.). tongueless adj. Etymology: OE tunge f. Gmc, rel. to L lingua
tongue
(tongues)
1. Your tongue is the soft movable part inside your mouth which you use for tasting,
eating, and speaking.
I walked over to the mirror and stuck my tongue out...She ran her tongue around her lips.N-COUNT: usu poss N
2. You can use tongue to refer to the kind of things that a person says.
She had a nasty tongue, but I liked her.N-COUNT: usu supp N
3. A tongue is a language. (LITERARY)
The French feel passionately about their native tongue.= language
N-COUNTsee alsomother tongue
4. Tongue is the cooked tongue of an ox or sheep. It is usually eaten cold.
N-VAR
5. The tongue of a shoe or boot is the piece of leather which is underneath the laces.
N-COUNT
6. A tongue of something such as fire or land is a long thin piece of it. (LITERARY)
A yellow tongue of flame shot upwards.N-COUNT: N of n
7. A tongue-in-cheek remark or attitude is not serious, although it may seem to be.
...a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek approach...PHRASE: PHR n, v-link PHR, PHR after v
8. If you hold your tongue, you do not say anything even though you might want
to or be expected to, because it is the wrong time to say it.
Douglas held his tongue, preferring not to speak out on a politically sensitive issue.PHRASE: V inflects
9. If you describe something you said as a slip of the tongue, you mean that you said
it by mistake.
At one stage he referred to Anna as John's fiancée, but later said that was a slip of
the tongue.PHRASE: slip inflects
10.
to bite your tongue: seebite
tongue
tʌŋ n. & v. --n. 1 the fleshy muscular organ in the mouth
used in tasting, licking, and swallowing, and (in man) for speech. 2 the
tongue of an ox etc. as food. 3 the faculty of or a tendency in speech (a
sharp tongue). 4 a particular language (the German tongue). 5 a thing like
a tongue in shape or position, esp.: a a long low promontory. b a strip of
leather etc., attached at one end only, under the laces in a shoe. c the
clapper of a bell. d the pin of a buckle. e the projecting strip on a wooden
etc. board fitting into the groove of another. f a vibrating slip in the
reed of some musical instruments. g a jet of flame. --v. (tongues, tongued,
tonguing) 1 tr. produce staccato etc. effects with (a flute etc.) by means
of tonguing. 2 intr. use the tongue in this way. øfind (or lose) one's
tongue be able (or unable) to express oneself after a shock etc. the gift
of tongues the power of speaking in unknown languages, regarded as one of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). keep a civil tongue in one's head
avoid rudeness. tongue-and-groove applied to boards in which a tongue along
one edge fits into a groove along the edge of the next, each board having a
tongue on one edge and a groove on the other. tongue-in-cheek adj. ironic;
slyly humorous. --adv. insincerely or ironically. tongue-lashing a severe
scolding or reprimand. tongue-tie a speech impediment due to a malformation
of the tongue. tongue-tied 1 too shy or embarrassed to speak. 2 having a
tongue-tie. tongue-twister a sequence of words difficult to pronounce quickly
and correctly. with one's tongue hanging out eagerly or expectantly. with
one's tongue in one's cheek insincerely or ironically. øøtongued adj. (also
in comb.). tongueless adj. [OE tunge f. Gmc, rel. to L lingua]
TONGUE
Tongue enough for two sets of teeth: said of
a talkative person. As old as my tongue, and a little older
than my teeth; a dovetail in answer to the question, How
old are you? Tongue pad; a scold, or nimble-tongued
person.
Tongue
While thou livest, keep a good tongue in thy head.
SHAKESPEARE: Tempest, Act iii., Sc. 2.
No, let the candied tongue lick absurd pomp,
And crook the pregnant hinges of the knee
Where thrift may follow fawning.
SHAKESPEARE: Hamlet, Act iii., Sc. 2.
Sacred interpreter of human thought,
How few respect or use thee as they ought!
But all shall give account of every wrong,
Who dare dishonor or defile the tongue.
COWPER: Conversation, Line 23.
Tongue \Tongue\, n. [OE. tunge, tonge, AS. tunge; akin to
OFries. tunge, D. tong, OS. tunga, G. zunge, OHG. zunga,
Icel. & Sw. tunga, Dan tunge, Goth. tugg[=o], OL. dingua, L.
lingua. [root]243 Cf.{Language}, Lingo. ]
1. (Anat.) an organ situated in the floor of the mouth of
most vertebrates and connected with the hyoid arch.
Note: The tongue is usually muscular, mobile, and free at one
extremity, and in man other mammals is the principal
organ of taste, aids in the prehension of food, in
swallowing, and in modifying the voice as in speech.
To make his English sweet upon his tongue.
--Chaucer.
2. The power of articulate utterance; speech.
Parrots imitating human tongue. --Dryden.
3. Discourse; fluency of speech or expression.
Much tongue and much judgment seldom go together.
--L. Estrange.
4. Honorable discourse; eulogy. [Obs.]
She was born noble; let that title find her a
private grave, but neither tongue nor honor. --Beau.
& Fl.
5. A language; the whole sum of words used by a particular
nation; as, the English tongue. --Chaucer.
Whose tongue thou shalt not understand. --Deut.
xxviii. 49.
To speak all tongues. --Milton.
6. Speech; words or declarations only; -- opposed to thoughts
or actions.
My little children, let us love in word, neither in
tongue, but in deed and in truth. --1 John iii.
18.
7. A people having a distinct language.
A will gather all nations and tongues. --Isa. lxvi.
18.
8. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The lingual ribbon, or odontophore, of a mollusk.
(b) The proboscis of a moth or a butterfly.
(c) The lingua of an insect.
9. (Zo["o]l.) Any small sole.
10. That which is considered as resembing an animal's tongue,
in position or form. Specifically:
(a) A projection, or slender appendage or fixture; as,
the tongue of a buckle, or of a balance.
Tongue \Tongue\, v. i.
1. To talk; to prate. --Dryden.
2. (Mus.) To use the tongue in forming the notes, as in
playing the flute and some other wind instruments.
Tongue \Tongue\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tongued; p. pr. & vb. n.
Tonguing.]
1. To speak; to utter. ``Such stuff as madmen tongue.''
--Shak.
2. To chide; to scold.
How might she tongue me. --Shak.
3. (Mus.) To modulate or modify with the tongue, as notes, in
playing the flute and some other wind instruments.
4. To join means of a tongue and grove; as, to tongue boards
together.
Radula \Rad"u*la\, n.; pl. Radul[ae]. [L., a scraper, fr.
radere to scrape.] (Zo["o]l.)
The chitinous ribbon bearing the teeth of mollusks; -- called
also lingual ribbon, and tongue. See Odontophore.
TONGUE
tung: Almost invariably for either lashon, or glossa the latter word with
the cognates heteroglossos, "of strange tongues" (1Co 14:21),
glossodes, "talkative," English Versions of the Bible "full of tongue"
(Sirach 8:3; 9:18), glossotomeo, "to cut out the tongue" (2 Macc 7:4),
diglossos, "double-tongued" (Sirach 5:9; 28:13). In 1Ti 3:8, however,
"double-tongued" is for dilogos, literally, "two-worded." Where "tongue"
in the King James Version translates dialektos (Ac 1:19; 2:8; 21:40;
22:2; 26:14), the Revised Version (British and American) has "language,"
while for the King James Version "in the Hebrew tongue" in Joh 5:2; Re
9:11; 16:16 (Hebraisti) the Revised Version (British and American) has
simply "in Hebrew." In addition, in the Old Testament and Apocrypha, the King
James Version uses "to hold one's tongue" as a translation for various verbs
meaning "to be silent"; the Revised Version (British and American) in the Old
Testament writes "to hold one's peace" and in the Apocrypha "to be silent,"
except in Sirach 32:8, where the King James Version is retained (siopao).
The various uses of "tongue" in English are all possible also for lashon and
glossa, whether as the physical organ (Ex 11:7; Mr 7:33, etc.) or as
meaning "language" (Ge 10:5; Ac 2:4, etc.) or as describing anything
shaped like a tongue (Isa 11:15; Ac 2:3, etc.). In addition, both
words, especially lashon appear in a wider range of meanings than can be
taken by "tongue" in modern English. So the tongue appears as the specific
organ of speech, where we should prefer "mouth" or "lips" (Ex 4:10;
Ps 71:24; 78:36; Pr 16:1; Php 2:11, etc.), and hence, "tongue" is used
figuratively for the words uttered (Job 6:30; Ps 139:4; 1Joh 3:18,
etc.). So the tongue can be said to have moral qualities (Ps 109:2; Pr
15:4, etc.) or to be "glad" (Ac 2:26); to "love with the tongue"
(1 Joh 3:18) is to love in word only, and to be "double-tongued"
(Sirach 5:9; 28:13; 1Ti 3:8 is to be a liar. A further expansion of
this figurative use has produced expressions that sound slightly bizarre in
English, although their meaning is clear enough: e.g., "Who have whet their
tongue like a sword" (Ps 64:3); "His tongue is as a devouring fire"
(Isa 30:27); "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (Ps 45:1),
and, especially, "Their tongue walketh through the earth" (Ps 73:9).
In Job 20:12, "Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he
hide it under his tongue," the figure is that of an uncultured man rolling
a choice morsel around in his mouth so as to extract the utmost flavor. In
Ps 10:7; 66:17 (Revised Version margin), however "under the tongue"
means "in readiness to utter," while in So 4:11, "Honey and milk are
under thy tongue," the pleasure of a caress is described. To "divide their
tongue" (Ps 55:9) is to visit on offenders the punishment of Babel.
See TONGUES, CONFUSION OF.
Burton Scott Easton
tongue
tʌŋ n.
1 language, speech; dialect, patois,Creole, idiom, parlance, argot, talk, vernacular,
faúon de parler: The people in that area speak a strange tongue.
2 (verbal) expression, utterance, voice, articulation: Michael is reluctant to give
tongue to his real feelings.
3 hold (one's) tongue. be or remain or keep silent, keep mum, say nothing or nought,
not breathe a word, keep (one's) counsel, not say a word, Slang shut up: Hold your tongue till
you are spoken to!
4 slip of the tongue. slip, mistake, gaffe, blunder, faux pas, Freudian slip, Colloq
Brit boob: Saying 'bald' when I meant 'bold' was a slip of the tongue.
5 (with (one's)) tongue in (one's) cheek. facetiously, whimsically, ironically, jocularly,
jokingly, not seriously, in jest, jestingly, in fun, to be funny, Colloq kiddingly: As he is
my older brother, I call him 'Dad' with tongue in cheek, of course.
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