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tongue

[ tuhng ]
/ tʌŋ /
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See synonyms for: tongue / tongued / tonguing / tongueless on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), tongued, tongu·ing.
verb (used without object), tongued, tongu·ing.
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Idioms about tongue

Origin of tongue

before 900; (noun) Middle English tunge,Old English; cognate with Dutch tong,German Zunge,Old Norse tunga,Gothic tuggo; akin to Latin lingua (OL dingua); (v.) Middle English tungen to scold, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM tongue

tongueless, adjectivetonguelike, adjectiveouttongue, verb (used with object), out·tongued, out·tongu·ing.un·tongued, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tongue

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

How to use tongue in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tongue

tongue
/ (tʌŋ) /

noun
verb tongues, tonguing or tongued

Derived forms of tongue

tongueless, adjectivetonguelike, adjective

Word Origin for tongue

Old English tunge; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse tunga, Old High German zunga, Latin lingua
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

Scientific definitions for tongue

tongue
[ tŭng ]

A muscular organ in most vertebrates that is usually attached to the bottom of the mouth. In snakes, the tongue is used as a sense organ. In frogs, the tongue is chiefly used to capture prey. In mammals, the tongue is the main organ of taste and is an important organ of digestion. In humans, the tongue is used to produce speech.
A similar organ in certain invertebrate animals.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with tongue

tongue

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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