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tongue

tongue

601 1.0
A soft movable part in the mouth used for tasting, eating, and speaking
  • noun
  • /tʌŋ/
translation icon : lengua
  • The warm taste of ox lay lightly on his tongue, saliva running in his mouth.
  • tongue movement
  • tongue tip
  • tongue pressure

I don't want to touch my tongue, all right?

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Examples

  • I'm going to just let that coffee sit on my tongue for five seconds.

  • When I got to his chin, I saw his tongue resting there.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Now pull back your tongue and you get push, push.

  • Just point out your tongue and someone could know.

  • You need to roll your tongue hard.

  • You need to bite your tongue.

  • The frog is bad; he is black with red eyes, a red tongue, and some spots.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Taste resides on the tip of the tongue, and its object is flavor.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Your tongue is black.

  • The chef seasoned the dish by using his tongue to taste it carefully.

Synonyms

beef tongue
vstongue
1 3.4

A cow's tongue that is cooked and eaten as meat

is general, covering the organ itself and its various uses beyond food
glossa
vstongue
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A part made of muscle in the mouth of animals or humans that helps you taste and speak

adds everyday functions like tasting, swallowing, and occasional food use
lingua
vstongue
  • Specialized
9.9

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

is broader, also highlighting tasting, swallowing, and edible use
langue
vstongue
9.9

The tongue of an animal eaten as food

keeps the biological functions as well as noting that it can be eaten

Idioms

tongue-in-cheek
  • Informal
15 7.4

Said jokingly and not meant to be taken seriously

4 3.6

To be easy and pleasant to say

3 5.4

To stay silent to avoid saying something rude

tongue-in-cheek
  • Informal
2 6.8

Joking and not meant to be taken seriously

1 6.1

Stop yourself from saying something you want to say because it would be rude

1 7.2

To start speaking again after shock or surprise

Become unable to speak when you feel nervous or embarrassed

Say things that are not true to trick others

To say a word correctly, often with difficulty

Make someone talk more and tell secrets

To be very quiet when other people expect you to speak

Compounds

7 3.7

A small mistake you make while speaking, like saying the wrong name

The first language a person learns at home

tongue-lashing
  • Informal
5 7.6

A strong angry talk that scolds someone for a mistake

tongue depressor
  • Specialized
4 4.0

A thin flat stick doctors press on the tongue to check the mouth and throat

4 6.1

A habit of speaking in a harsh, critical way

tongue twister
  • Informal
3 6.0

A phrase that is hard to say quickly because of similar sounds

silver tongue
  • Informal
3 7.4

A skill at speaking in a way that convinces people

forked tongue
  • Informal
2 8.7

Speech that says one thing but means another to trick people

1 6.5

Polite speech that shows respect and keeps a calm tone

1 4.9

A way of joining wooden boards by fitting an edge into a matching slot to make a flat strong surface

1 3.4

A cow's tongue that is cooked and eaten as meat

black tongue
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A temporary dark patch that appears on the tongue often after antibiotics

A habit of saying harsh, hurtful things about other people

bull tongue
  • Archaic
9.9

A heavy plow with one wide blade that breaks soil for cotton

A cooked tongue from a young cow that is eaten as food

cow-tongue fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A fern with long flat pale green leaves that grows on trees or on the ground in warm places

9.9

A tropical plant from Southeast Asia with large leaves, a dark red flower part, and edible underground stems

earth-tongue
  • Specialized
9.9

A small club-shaped fungus that grows in soil or grass

egg-and-tongue
  • Specialized
9.8

A decorative border with egg-shaped figures alternating with small pointed shapes

A fern with a thin spike that looks like a snake's tongue

A small fern with one leaf and a thin spore spike like a snake's tongue

A houseplant with long upright thick leaves often called snake plant

furry tongue
  • Specialized
7.4

A harmless mouth condition where tongue bumps grow long and look dark

hairy tongue
  • Specialized
8.9

A harmless mouth problem where the tongue looks dark and furry because tiny bumps grow too long, often after antibiotics

A fern with long flat green leaves that look like a tongue

A fern with long flat leathery leaves that grows in shade

A plant with rough tongue-shaped leaves and blue or purple flowers

A small garden plant with bright, soft, trumpet-shaped flowers often yellow or purple

tongue fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A fern with long flat leaves that look like tongues

tongue-fish
  • Specialized
9.9

A small flat sea fish with both eyes on the left side found on sandy bottoms

tongue tie
  • Specialized
8.2

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

tongue worm
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wormlike parasite with hooks that lives inside the nose of animals like dogs or cows

tongue-flower
  • Specialized
9.9

An orchid with blue or purple flowers and a tongue-shaped part on the flower's lip

An old logging machine that lifts one end of a log with hanging tongs between its wheels

A historical logging machine that lifts one end of a log with hanging tongs between wheels to move it

9.9

Wheels with hanging metal hooks that lift one end of a log for pulling

yellow adder's tongue
  • Specialized
9.9

A small North American spring flower with one yellow spotted blossom

Surface Forms

tongue singular
tongues plural

Etymology

Tongue comes from an old German word tunge that meant the soft mouth organ 'tongue', so the word still names the part you taste with and sometimes eat as food.