ankyloglossia

9.9

A small piece of skin under the tongue that is too short and stops the tongue moving well

noun
/ˌæŋkɪloʊˈɡlɑːsiə/

Specialized

: anquiloglosia

Babies born with ankyloglossia may have difficulty breastfeeding due to limited tongue movement.

Examples

Surgical intervention can correct ankyloglossia and improve speech development in some children.
The pediatrician diagnosed the infant with ankyloglossia during a routine check-up.
The doctor diagnosed him with ankyloglossia.
Many children suffer from ankyloglossia without realizing it.
Babies born with ankyloglossia may have difficulty breastfeeding due to limited tongue movement.
The pediatrician diagnosed the infant with ankyloglossia during a routine check-up.
Surgical intervention can correct ankyloglossia and improve speech development in some children.

Synonyms

tongue tie

vsankyloglossia

Specialized

8.2

A small piece of skin under the tongue is too short from birth and stops the tongue moving well

is the formal medical term used for the same congenital condition

Surface Forms

ankyloglossia singular

ankyloglossias plural

Morphology

ankyloglossia = ankylo + glossia

The word is formed from Greek combining forms (ankylo- + -glossia) that are not standalone English words and are not transparent to average learners, so the meaning cannot be derived from familiar English bases.

Etymology

Ankyloglossia comes from the parts ankylo- 'bent or tied' and -glossia 'tongue', and it even shares the gloss root you see in glossary. So it means a 'tied' tongue and explains why the condition makes the tongue hard to move.