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Tongue vs Ligulate - What's the difference?

tongue | ligulate |

As a noun 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).

As an adjective ligulate is

shaped like a strap or long tongue.

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

    Anagrams

    *

    ligulate

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Shaped like a strap or long tongue
  • Having a ligule
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