ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tung

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈtəŋ// tung Archaic

n. an old way of spelling the word 'tongue'. It refers to the part of your mouth you use for tasting and speaking.

n. an archaic orthographic variant of 'tongue'. Refers to the muscular organ in the mouth used for tasting, swallowing, and articulating speech.


SIMPLE

The old book used the spelling tung instead of tongue.

CONTEXTUAL

In certain Middle English texts, the word for the organ of speech appears as tung.

COMPLEX

Scholars of historical linguistics often encounter the spelling tung when examining the evolution of English orthography before the standardisation of the seventeenth century.

Usage

Archaic spelling; not used in modern standard English except in historical or linguistic contexts.

Pitfall

He bit his tung.He bit his tongue.Tung is an obsolete spelling; modern English always uses tongue.

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