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definitions

lingual

[ ling-gwuh l ]
/ ˈlɪŋ gwəl /
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adjective

of or relating to the tongue or some tonguelike part.
pertaining to languages.
Phonetics. articulated with the aid of the tongue, especially the tip of the tongue, as d, n, s, or r.

noun

Phonetics. a lingual sound.

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RELATED WORDS

auditory, visual, sensual, tactile, sonic, neurological, neural, audiovisual, olfactory, aural, rhetorical, unwritten, grammatical, sonant, vocal, sensational, said, uttered, voiced, articulate

Nearby words

  1. lingua franca,
  2. lingua geographica,
  3. lingua geral,
  4. lingua nigra,
  5. lingua plicata,
  6. lingual artery,
  7. lingual brace,
  8. lingual follicle,
  9. lingual goiter,
  10. lingual gyrus

Origin of lingual

1350–1400; Middle English: tongue-shaped surgical instrument < Medieval Latin linguālis. See lingua, -al1
Related formslin·gual·ly, adverbpre·lin·gual, adjectivepre·lin·gual·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lingual

British Dictionary definitions for lingual

lingual

/ (ˈlɪŋɡwəl) /

adjective

anatomy of or relating to the tongue or a part or structure resembling a tongue
  1. rare of or relating to language or languages
  2. (in combination)polylingual
articulated with the tongue

noun

a lingual consonant, such as Scots (r)
Derived Formslingually, adverb
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
Word Origin and History for lingual

lingual

adj.

1640s, from Medieval Latin lingualis "of the tongue," from Latin lingua "tongue," also "speech, language," from Old Latin dingua, from PIE *dnghu- "tongue" (cf. Old English tunge, Gothic tuggo "tongue;" see tongue). Altered in Latin probably in part by association with lingere "to lick."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for lingual

lingual

[ lĭng′gwəl ]

adj.

Of or relating to the tongue or any tonguelike part; glossal.
Next to or toward the tongue.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.