ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tongues

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈtəŋz// UK //tˈʌŋz// tongues

n. the ability to speak many different languages, or a religious practice of speaking in a language you do not know.

n. the capacity for multiple languages; in a religious context, refers to glossolalia or the spontaneous utterance of sounds perceived as a divine language.


SIMPLE

She was a master of many tongues and worked as a translator.

CONTEXTUAL

The ancient port city was a place where many different tongues could be heard in the marketplace every day.

COMPLEX

The scholar spent decades studying the various tongues of the region, documenting how local dialects shifted as trade routes expanded across the mountains.

Synonyms
Usage

Plural form of 'tongue'; when used to mean 'languages', it often carries a literary or formal tone.

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