Tab vs Tongue - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between tab and tongue

is that tab is a key on computer keyboards while tongue is 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.

As a verb tongue is

(music|ambitransitive) on a wind instrument, to articulate a note by starting the air with a tap of the tongue, as though by speaking a 'd' or 't' sound (alveolar plosive).

tab

English

Etymology 1

First attested 1607, of uncertain origin.

Noun

(en noun)

A small flap or strip of material attached to something, for holding, manipulation, identification, etc.

* 1993 , Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting , p 333:

He pulls off his belt, cursing as the studs catch in the tabs of his jeans.

(by extension, graphical user interface) A navigational widget for switching between sets of controls or documents.

(label) A tablet, especially one containing illicit drugs.

A fast march or run with full kit.

Verb

Mark with a tab.

(computing) To use the Tab key on a computer or typewriter to navigate the screen or page.

* 2010 , Chris Anderson, Pro Business Applications with Silverlight 4 (page 210)

You can prevent a control from getting the focus when the user is tabbing between controls by settings its IsTabStop property to False.

Short for tabulate.

Derived terms

* keep tabs on * tabbed

Etymology 2

Apocopation (shortening) of tabulation.

Noun

(en noun)

(informal) A restaurant bill.

(slang) Credit account, e.g., in a shop or bar.

Put this round on my tab , will you, barman.

Short for tabulator.

(computing) A space character ((tab)) that extends to the next aligned column, traditionally used for tabulation.

Derived terms

* pick up the tab

Etymology 3

Likely to have been formed by clipping the Geordie pronunciation of the word or alternatively from the brand name Ogden's Tabs .

Noun

(en noun)

(Geordie and Mackem) cigarette.

Giv'is a tab man!

References

Etymology 4

Shortening of tablature.

Noun

(en noun)

A form of musical notation indicating fingering rather than the pitch of notes, commonly used for stringed instruments.

Etymology 5

Derived from the Latin Cantabrigia (often shortened to Cantab.).

Noun

(rfv-sense)(slang) A student of Cambridge University.

Etymology 6

Noun

(en noun)

(label) A tabloid newspaper.

* 1999 , George H. Douglas, The Golden Age of the Newspaper, p. 229:

* 2010 , Robert Lusetich, Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season:

Anagrams

* * * * English clippings ----

tongue

English

(wikipedia tongue)

Alternative forms

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

Noun

(en noun)

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.

Any similar organ, such as the lingual ribbon, or odontophore, of a mollusk; the proboscis of a moth or butterfly; or the lingua of an insect.

A language.

He was speaking in his native tongue .

The poem was written in her native tongue .

The power of articulate utterance; speech generally.

* Dryden

parrots imitating human tongue

(obsolete) Discourse; fluency of speech or expression.

* L'Estrange

Much tongue and much judgment seldom go together.

(obsolete) Honourable discourse; eulogy.

* Beaumont and Fletcher

She was born noble; let that title find her a private grave, but neither tongue nor honour.

(religion, often in the plural) Glossolalia.

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.

Any large or long physical protrusion on an automotive or machine part or any other part that fits into a long groove on another part.

A projection, or slender appendage or fixture.

the tongue of a buckle, or of a balance

A long, narrow strip of land, projecting from the mainland into a sea or lake.

The pole of a vehicle; especially, the pole of an ox cart, to the end of which the oxen are yoked.

The clapper of a bell.

(figuratively) An individual point of flame from a fire.

* 1895 , H. G. Wells, The Time Machine Chapter XI

Now, in this decadent age the art of fire-making had been altogether forgotten on the earth. The red tongues that went licking up my heap of wood were an altogether new and strange thing to Weena.

A small sole (type of fish).

(nautical) A short piece of rope spliced into the upper part of standing backstays, etc.; also, the upper main piece of a mast composed of several pieces.

(music) A reed.

Synonyms

* (language) language, lingo (colloquial)

Verb

(music, ambitransitive) On a wind instrument, to articulate a note by starting the air with a tap of the tongue, as though by speaking a 'd' or 't' sound (alveolar plosive).

Playing wind instruments involves tonguing on the reed or mouthpiece.

(slang) To manipulate with the tongue, as in kissing or oral sex.

To protrude in relatively long, narrow sections.

a soil horizon that tongues into clay

To join by means of a tongue and groove.

to tongue boards together

(obsolete) To talk; to prate.

(Dryden)

(obsolete) To speak; to utter.

* Shakespeare

such stuff as madmen tongue

(obsolete) To chide; to scold.

* Shakespeare

How might she tongue me.

Derived terms

* beef tongue * cat got someone's tongue * double tonguing * double-tongued * forked tongue * give tongue, give tongue to * hold one's tongue * law of the tongue * mother tongue * native tongue * roll off the tongue * sharp tongue * silver tongue * silver-tongued * speak in tongues * tongue and groove * tonguage * tongue depressor * tonguedom * tongue in cheek * tonguing * tongue lashing * tongueless * tonguely * tongueman * tongueness * tongue sandwich * tongue-shaped * tongueship * tonguesore * tongue-tie * tongue-tied * tongue twister * tonguey * tonguework * wicked tongue