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Tongue vs Say - What's the difference?

tongue | say |

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 a proper noun say is

.

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

    *

    say

    English

    (wikipedia say)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) seyen, seien, seggen, &c., from (etyl) .

    Verb

  • To pronounce.
  • To recite.
  • * , chapter=5
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.}}
  • To communicate, either verbally or in writing.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his man would be there with a message to say that his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
  • , chapter=1 citation , passage=She was like a Beardsley Salome , he had said . And indeed she had the narrow eyes and the high cheekbone of that creature, and as nearly the sinuosity as is compatible with human symmetry. His wooing had been brief but incisive.}}
  • To indicate in a written form.
  • (impersonal) To have a common expression; (used in singular passive voice or plural active voice to indicate a rumor or well-known fact).
  • * 1815 , :
  • They say that Hope is happiness; But genuine Love must prize the past.
  • * 1819 , Great Britain Court of Chancery, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery , page 8:
  • It is said , a bargain cannot be set aside upon inadequacy only.
  • * 1841 , Christopher Marshall, The Knickerbocker (New-York Monthly Magazine) , page 379:
  • It’s said that fifteen wagon loads of ready-made clothes for the Virginia troops came to, and stay in, town to-night.
  • (informal, imperative) Let's say; used to mark an example, supposition or hypothesis.
  • * 1984 , (Martin Amis), Money: a suicide note?
  • I've followed Selina down the strip, when we're shopping, say , and she strolls on ahead, wearing sawn-off jeans and a wash-withered T-shirt
  • To speak; to express an opinion; to make answer; to reply.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • You have said ; but whether wisely or no, let the forest judge.
  • * (John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • To this argument we shall soon have said ; for what concerns it us to hear a husband divulge his household privacies?
  • .
  • *
  • Synonyms
    * See
    Derived terms
    * dessay * doomsaying * nay-say * saith * sayeth * sayer * saying * there is much to be said * what do you say * you don't say

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One's stated opinion or input into a discussion or decision.
  • * 2004 , Richard Rogers, Information politics on the Web
  • Above all, however, we would like to think that there is more to be decided, after the engines and after the humans have had their says .

    References

    * *

    Etymology 2

    Grammaticalization of the verb. In the case of the conjunction, it could be considered an elision of "Let's say that" and for the "for example" sense of "Let's say"

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (colloquial) (non-gloss definition, Used to gain one's attention before making an inquiry or suggestion)
  • Say , what did you think about the movie?
  • For example; let us assume.
  • Pick a color you think they'd like, say , peach.
    He was driving pretty fast, say , fifty miles per hour.
    Synonyms
    * (used to gain attention) hey

    Conjunction

    (English Conjunctions)
  • (informal) (Used to introduce a hypothetical)
  • Say your family is starving and you don't have any money, is it ok to steal some food?

    Etymology 3

    From (etyl) saie, from (etyl) saga, plural of .

    Noun

    (-)
  • A type of fine cloth similar to serge.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , I.iv:
  • All in a kirtle of discolourd say / He clothed was

    Etymology 4

    Aphetic form of assay.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To try; to assay.
  • (Ben Jonson)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Trial by sample; assay; specimen.
  • * Hooker
  • If those principal works of God be but certain tastes and says , as if were, of that final benefit.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Thy tongue some say of breeding breathes.
  • Tried quality; temper; proof.
  • * Spenser
  • He found a sword of better say .
  • Essay; trial; attempt.
  • (Ben Jonson)

    Statistics

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