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Glite Dictionary
glossa

glossa

1 9.9
A part made of muscle in the mouth of animals or humans that helps you taste and speak
  • noun
  • /ˈɡlɑːsə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : glosa
  • In his Glossa Compendiaria, Flacius speaks of our witnesses as prophets who testify to the truth and oppose error.

Examples

  • From the Greek glossa, meaning tongue, and phobos, fear or dread.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The Glossa

    Academic text (2005)

  • A. C. Hamilton notes that the term "gloss" derives from the Greek, where glossa referred to "a foreign or other obscure word which required explanation."

    Academic text (2006)

  • The veterinarian examined the dog's glossa to check for any abnormalities.

  • Zoologists often study the glossa of reptiles to understand their feeding habits.

  • In anatomy class, we learned that the glossa plays a crucial role in taste and digestion.

Synonyms

tongue
vsglossa
601 1.0

A soft movable part in the mouth used for tasting, eating, and speaking

is the scientific term used especially in zoology and anatomy
lingua
vsglossa
  • Specialized
9.9

A soft muscle in the mouth that can move and helps you taste and speak

is the technical zoology and anatomy term for that organ
clapper
vsglossa
  • Archaic
9.9

The tongue used to speak

is the neutral anatomical term rather than an old figurative name

Surface Forms

glossa singular
glossae plural

Etymology

Glossa comes from an old Greek word glossa meaning 'tongue' and is the same root in glossary, which is a 'list of words'. So in biology glossa means the tongue or a tongue-like part used for eating or tasting in animals and insects.