tongue

Meaning

Noun

1. 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.
2. This organ, as taken from animals used for food (especially cows).
3. Any similar organ, such as the lingual ribbon, or odontophore, of a mollusk; the proboscis of a moth or butterfly; or the lingua of an insect.
4. A language.
5. (obsolete) Speakers of a language, collectively.
6. (obsolete) Voice (the distinctive sound of a person's speech); accent (distinctive manner of pronouncing a language).
7. Manner of speaking, often habitually.
8. A person speaking in a specified manner.
9. The power of articulate utterance; speech generally.
10. (obsolete) Discourse; fluency of speech or expression.
11. (obsolete) Discourse; fluency of speech or expression.
12. (obsolete) Honourable discourse; eulogy.
13. Glossolalia.
14. In a shoe, the flap of material that goes between the laces and the foot (so called because it resembles a tongue in the mouth).
15. Any large or long physical protrusion on an automotive or machine part or any other part that fits into a long groove on another part.
16. A projection, or slender appendage or fixture.
17. A long, narrow strip of land, projecting from the mainland into a sea or lake.
18. The pole of a towed or drawn vehicle or farm implement (e.g., trailer, cart, plow, harrow), by which it is pulled; for example, the pole of an ox cart, to the end of which the oxen are yoked.
19. The clapper of a bell.
20. An individual point of flame from a fire.
21. A small sole (type of fish).
22. A short piece of rope spliced into the upper part of standing backstays, etc.; also, the upper main piece of a mast composed of several pieces.
23. A reed.
24. A division of formation; A layer or member of a formation that pinches out in one direction.

Verb

1. On a wind instrument, to articulate a note by starting the air with a tap of the tongue, as though by speaking a 'd' or 't' sound (alveolar plosive).
2. (slang) To manipulate with the tongue, as in kissing or oral sex; to perform cunnilingus or anilingus on.
3. To protrude in relatively long, narrow sections.
4. To join by means of a tongue and groove.
5. (obsolete) To talk; to prate.
6. (obsolete) To speak; to utter.
7. (obsolete) To chide; to scold.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/tʌŋ/

Etymology

From Middle English tonge, tunge, tung, from Old English tunge, from Proto-West Germanic *tungā, from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ (“tongue”) (compare West Frisian tonge, Dutch tong, Luxembourgish Zong, German Zunge, Yiddish צונג (tsung), Danish tunge, Norwegian Bokmål tunge, Swedish tunga, Gothic 𐍄𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍉 (tuggō)), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s. Cognate with Old Irish tengae, Latin lingua, Tocharian A käntu, Tocharian B kantwo, Lithuanian liežùvis, Russian язык (jazyk), Polish język, Old Armenian լեզու (lezu), Avestan 𐬵𐬌𐬰𐬎𐬎𐬁 (hizuuā), Zazaki Zon, Ashkun žū, Kamkata-viri dić, Sanskrit जिह्वा (jihvā́). Doublet of language and lingua.