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Glite Dictionary
hyoglossus

hyoglossus

9.9
A muscle that pulls the tongue down and back during movement
  • noun
  • /ˌhaɪəˈɡlɒsəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hiogloso
  • The hyoglossus muscle helps to lower the tongue when speaking.

Examples

  • During the examination, the doctor pointed out the hyoglossus as a key muscle involved in tongue movement.

  • Understanding the role of the hyoglossus muscle is essential for studying how we articulate sounds.

  • Medially, it is related to the lingual and hypoglossal nerves as they lie on the hyoglossus muscle.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The upper part of the medial surface rests on the mylohyoid muscle anteriorly and the hyoglossus muscle posteriorly.

    Academic text (2004)

Surface Forms

hyoglossus singular
hyoglossi plural

Morphology

hyoglossus = hyoid + glossus (opaque) = hyo + glossus

Although morphologically regular (combining forms for the hyoid and the tongue), the parts are specialised combining forms unfamiliar to average learners, so the term is not derivable in meaning for a B1 learner.

Etymology

The word hyoglossus comes from two parts: hyo- for the hyoid bone in the throat and -glossus from Greek glossa meaning 'tongue', the same root you see in glossary. So, the hyoglossus is the muscle that links the hyoid bone to the tongue, which is why it pulls the tongue down and back.