glossa

[ glos-uh, glaw-suh ]

/ ˈglɒs ə, ˈglɔ sə /

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noun, plural glos·sae

[glos-ee, glaw-see], /ˈglɒs i, ˈglɔ si/, glos·sas.

Anatomy. the tongue.

Entomology. one of a pair of median, sometimes fused lobes of the labium of an insect.

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Origin of glossa

First recorded in 1885–90, glossa is from the Greek word glôssa tongue

Words nearby glossa

glory-of-the-snow, glory-of-the-sun, glory-pea, Glos, gloss, glossa, glossal, glossary, glossator, glossectomy, glossematics

Other definitions for glossa (2 of 2)

Glossa

[ glaw-suh ]

/ ˈglɔ sə /

noun

Cape, a promontory in SW Albania.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use glossa in a sentence

On these place a new pot, pour into it some fornis mentioned above, called by the Romans glossa, otherwise gum arabic.
The Decoration of Leather|Georges de Rcy
Late in life he retired to his villa, and there in quiet worked on his great Glossa till he died.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
The Glossa Ordinaria, as it is called, is the best known of these commentaries.
On Prayer and The Contemplative Life|St. Thomas Aquinas
Lingua spiralis: the spiral tongue of Lepidoptera: see glossa.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology|John. B. Smith

Dondeus says this interpretation is clearly proved by the authority of a glossa in the chapter: Ex litterarum.
The Old Yellow Book|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for glossa

glossa

/ (ˈɡlɒsə) /

noun plural -sae (-siː) or -sas

anatomy a technical word for the tongue

a paired tonguelike lobe in the labium of an insect

Derived forms of glossa

glossal, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012