tongue

noun

metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by hitting the side

the flap of material under the laces of a shoe or boot

the tongue of certain animals used as meat

a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea

a manner of speaking

any long thin projection that is transient

a human written or spoken language used by a community

a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity

verb

lick or explore with the tongue

articulate by tonguing, as when playing wind instruments

Roots

dnghwatongue- · Proto-Indo-European · tongue

Synonyms for tongue

linguan mouthn lipsn spitv languagen palaten jawn

Synonyms & related words for tongue

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of tongue — including lingua, mouth, lips, spit, language, palate. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to tongue

Explore words related to tongue — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include tonguelet, glossa, glossal, aglossia, tonguelike, linguiform, lingulate, dentilingual. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for tongue

Common synonyms for tongue include lingua, mouth, lips, spit, language, palate, jaw — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does tongue come from?

The word tongue breaks down into one root of Proto-Indo-European origin: the root tongue, from Proto-Indo-European dnghwa (“tongue”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.