tongue

Definition

The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth that helps us to taste, speak, and swallow. It is also involved in the production of saliva.

The tongue is covered in taste buds, which are small bumps that contain cells that can detect different flavours. The tongue can taste five basic flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.

The tongue also helps us to speak. It helps to form words by moving the sounds around in our mouths.

The tongue also helps us to swallow. It pushes food down our throats and into our stomachs.

How can the word be used?

The cat's tongue flicked out to lick the cream from the saucer.

Different forms of the word

Noun:

a fleshy movable muscular process of the floor of the mouths of most vertebrates that bears sensory end organs and small glands and functions especially in taking and swallowing food and in humans as a speech organ.

a language or dialect.
a person's power of speech.
a style or manner of speaking.
a piece of land or water that projects into a larger area.

Verb:

to speak or utter indistinctly.
to lick or lap.
to protrude or extend like a tongue.

Etymology

The word "tongue" comes from the Old English word "tunge", which is also the root of the word "language".

The first recorded use of the word "tongue" in English was in the 8th century.

The word "tongue" is a Germanic word, and it is related to the German word "Zunge" and the Dutch word "tong".

Question

What is your tongue used for?