Word
lingua
Phoneticslin·gua
US/ˈɫɪŋɡwə/
UK/lˈɪŋɡjuːɐ/
Definition
n. the tongue of a person or animal. It is a medical or scientific word for the organ you use to taste and speak.
n. the tongue of a human or animal. Often used in anatomical or medical contexts to describe the muscular organ in the mouth.
Examples
“The doctor examined the patient's lingua for signs of infection.”
“In many anatomical diagrams, the lingua is depicted as a muscular structure that plays a key role in both digestion and speech.”
“The study of the lingua across various species reveals significant evolutionary adaptations, particularly in how the organ is utilized for vocalization and the manipulation of food particles.”
Examples
simple
“The doctor examined the patient's lingua for signs of infection.”
contextual
“In many anatomical diagrams, the lingua is depicted as a muscular structure that plays a key role in both digestion and speech.”
complex
“The study of the lingua across various species reveals significant evolutionary adaptations, particularly in how the organ is utilized for vocalization and the manipulation of food particles.”
Real-World Examples
“From the beginning, some Jews imagined Yiddish as a Jewish lingua franca, a common language.” Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from Latin lingua (“the tongue”). Doublet of langue and tongue.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Related words
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/lingua