tongue
1. tongue \'t*n\ \-.li-k\ n [ME tunge, fr. OE; akin to OHG zunga tongue, L
lingua] 1a: a fleshy movable process of the floor of the mouths of most
vertebrates that bears sensory end organs and small glands and functions
esp. in taking and swallowing food and in man as a speech organ 1b: an
analogous part of various invertebrate animals 2: the flesh of a tongue
(as of the ox or sheep) used as food 3: the power of communication through
speech 4a: LANGUAGE; esp : a spoken language 4b: manner or quality of
utterance with respect to tone or sound, the sense of what is expressed,
or the intention of the speaker 4c1: ecstatic usu. unintelligible utterance
accompanying religious excitati on 4c2: the charismatic gift of ecstatic
speech 4d: the cry of or as if of a hound pursuing or in sight of game -
used es p. in the phrase to give tongue 5: a long narrow strip of land
projecting into a body of water 6: something resembling an animal's tongue
in being elongated and fastened at one end only : as 6a: a movable pin in
a buckle 6b: a metal ball suspended inside a bell so as to strike against
the sides as the bell is swung 6c: the pole of a vehicle 6d: the flap
under the lacing or buckles of a shoe at the throat of the vam p 7a: the
rib on one edge of a board that fits into a corresponding groove in an
edge of another board to make a flush joint 7b: FEATHER - tongue.like aj
2. tongue \'t*n-in\ vt or tongu.ing archaic 1: SCOLD 2: to touch or lick
with or as if with the tongue 3a: to cut a tongue on {~ a board} 3b: to
join (as boards) by means of a tongue and groove 4: to articulate (notes)
by tonguing 1: to project in a tongue 2: to articulate notes on a wind
instrument
Webster's English Dictionary