Definition of tongue

tonguenoun

lưỡi

/tʌŋ/

Definition of undefined

The word "tongue" has its roots in Old English and has an interesting etymology. The term is derived from the Germanic word "tungiz", which referred to the act of speaking or the_sound of speech. This word is also related to the Old English word "tunge", which means "language" or "speech". In Middle English (circa 1100-1500 AD), the word "tongue" became the standard term for the organ of speech, as well as the language or dialect spoken. Today, the word "tongue" refers to both the physical organ used for speaking and the language itself.

Summary
type danh từ
meaningcái lưỡi
meaningcách ăn nói, miệng lưỡi
meaningtiếng, ngôn ngữ
exampleone's mother tongue: tiếng mẹ đẻ
type động từ
meaningngắt âm (sáo, kèn...) bằng lưỡi
namespace

the soft part in the mouth that moves around, used for tasting, swallowing, speaking, etc.

phần mềm trong miệng di chuyển xung quanh, dùng để nếm, nuốt, nói, v.v.

Example:
  • He clicked his tongue to attract their attention.

    Anh ta tặc lưỡi để thu hút sự chú ý của họ.

  • She ran her tongue over her lips.

    Cô đưa lưỡi lướt qua môi mình.

  • It's very rude to stick your tongue out at people.

    Thật là thô lỗ khi lè lưỡi với mọi người.

Extra examples:
  • The dog lay in a patch of shade with its tongue hanging out.

    Con chó nằm trong bóng râm, thè lưỡi ra.

  • The snake's tongue flicked out of its mouth.

    Lưỡi của con rắn thè ra khỏi miệng.

the tongue of some animals, cooked and eaten

lưỡi của một số động vật, nấu chín và ăn

Example:
  • a slice of ox tongue

    một lát lưỡi bò

a language

một ngôn ngữ

Example:
  • Even when we speak the same tongue we do not always understand one another.

    Ngay cả khi chúng ta nói cùng một ngôn ngữ, không phải lúc nào chúng ta cũng hiểu nhau.

  • I tried speaking to her in her native tongue.

    Tôi đã thử nói chuyện với cô ấy bằng tiếng mẹ đẻ của cô ấy.

Extra examples:
  • The market place was full of people speaking many strange tongues.

    Chợ đầy người nói nhiều thứ tiếng lạ.

  • She could hear men whispering in a foreign tongue.

    Cô có thể nghe thấy tiếng đàn ông thì thầm bằng tiếng nước ngoài.

  • She speaks English and Danish, though her native tongue is German.

    Cô ấy nói được tiếng Anh và tiếng Đan Mạch, mặc dù tiếng mẹ đẻ của cô ấy là tiếng Đức.

Related words and phrases

a particular way of speaking

một cách nói cụ thể

Example:
  • He has a sharp tongue.

    Anh ấy có một cái lưỡi sắc bén.

  • I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue in your head (= speak politely).

    Tôi sẽ cảm ơn bạn để giữ một cái lưỡi dân sự trong đầu (= nói một cách lịch sự).

Related words and phrases

speaking in the way mentioned

nói theo cách đã đề cập

Example:
  • sharp-tongued

    lưỡi sắc bén

a long, narrow piece of leather under the laces on a shoe

một miếng da dài và hẹp dưới dây giày

something that is long and narrow and like a tongue in shape

một cái gì đó dài và hẹp và giống như một cái lưỡi

Example:
  • a tongue of flame

    một lưỡi lửa

Related words and phrases

Idioms

bite your tongue
to stop yourself from saying something that might upset somebody or cause an argument, although you want to speak
  • I didn't believe her explanation but I bit my tongue.
    • (has the) cat got your tongue?
    (informal)said to somebody, especially a child, who stays silent when expected to speak, for example after being asked a question
  • What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?
    • find your voice/tongue
    to be able to speak or express your opinion
    get your tongue around/round something
    to pronounce a difficult word correctly
  • He was having trouble getting his tongue around my name.
    • have a loose tongue
    to talk too much, especially about things that are private
    hold your tongue/peace
    (old-fashioned)to say nothing although you would like to give your opinion
    loosen somebody’s tongue
    to make somebody talk more freely than usual
  • A bottle of wine had loosened Harry's tongue.
    • on the tip of your tongue
    if a word or name is on the tip of your tongue, you are sure that you know it but you cannot remember it
    roll/slip/trip off the tongue
    to be easy to say or pronounce
  • It's not a name that exactly trips off the tongue, is it?
    • set tongues wagging | tongues are wagging
    (informal)to cause people to start talking/people are talking about somebody’s private affairs
  • His sudden resignation set tongues wagging.
  • This is a small island and tongues are beginning to wag.
    • a slip of the pen/tongue
    a small mistake in something that you write or say
  • Did I call you Richard? Sorry, Robert, just a slip of the tongue.
  • I didn't mean to say that—it was just a slip of the tongue.
    • watch your mouth/tongue
    to be careful what you say in order not to offend somebody or make them angry
    with your tongue in your cheek | with tongue in cheek
    if you say something with your tongue in your cheek, you are not being serious and mean it as a joke