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(), n.[OE. tunge, tonge, AS. tunge; akin to OFries. tunge, D. tong, OS. tunga, G. zunge, OHG. zunga, Icel. & Sw. tunga, Dan tunge, Goth. tugg, OL. dingua, L. lingua. 243 Cf.Language, Lingo. ] 1. (Anat.) an organ situated in the floor of the mouth of most vertebrates and connected with the hyoid arch. The tongue is usually muscular, mobile, and free at one extremity, and in man other mammals is the principal organ of taste, aids in the prehension of food, in swallowing, and in modifying the voice as in speech. To make his English sweet upon his tongue. Chaucer. 2. The power of articulate utterance; speech. Parrots imitating human tongue. Dryden. 3. Discourse; fluency of speech or expression. Much tongue and much judgment seldom go together. L. Estrange. 4. Honorable discourse; eulogy. [Obs.] She was born noble; let that title find her a private grave, but neither tongue nor honor. Beau. & Fl. 5. A language; the whole sum of words used by a particular nation; as, the Eng Tongue (), v. t.[imp. & p. p.Tongued (); p. pr. & vb. n.Tonguing.] 1. To speak; to utter. "Such stuff as madmen tongue." Shak. 2. To chide; to scold. How might she tongue me. Shak. 3. (Mus.) To modulate or modify with the tongue, as notes, in playing the flute and some other wind instruments. 4. To join means of a tongue and grove; as, to tongue boards together. Tongue v. i. 1. To talk; to prate. Dryden. 2. (Mus.) To use the tongue in forming the notes, as in playing the flute and some other wind instruments. スポンサード リンク
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