Alternative spellings

• tounge (considered a misspelling); tung (informal/eye dialect); tong, tonge, toong, toongue, toung, toungue, tunge (obsolete)

Noun

tongue (plural tongues)

1. The flexible muscular organ in the mouth that is used to move food around, for tasting and that is moved into various positions to modify the flow of air from the lungs in order to produce different sounds in speech.
2. A language.

   He was speaking in his native tongue.

3. In a shoe, the flap of material that goes between the laces and the foot, so called because it resembles a tongue in the mouth.
4. Any large or long physical protrusion on an automotive, a machine part or any other part that fits into a long groove on another part.

Synonyms

• (language): language, lingo (colloquial)

The tongue is a group of muscles on the floor of the mouth that manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste, as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels. In humans a secondary function of the tongue is phonetic articulation. The tongue also serves as a natural means of cleaning one's teeth.

Description

Musculature

The eight muscles of the human tongue are classified as either intrinsic or extrinsic. The four intrinsic muscles act to change the shape of the tongue, and aren't attached to any bone. The four extrinsic muscles act to change the position the tongue, and are anchored to bone.

Intrinsic muscles

1. Superior longitudinal fibers: shorten the tongue.
2. Inferior longitudinal fibers: shorten the tongue.
3. Vertical fibers: flatten and widen the tongue
4. Transverse fibers: narrow and elongate the tongue.

Extrinsic muscles

1. Genioglossus
2. Hyglossus
3. Styloglossus
4. Palatoglossus