lingua

From older dingua (attested as a rare word in Gaius Marius Victorinus), from Proto-Italic *denɣwā, from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s. The change of d- to l- is variously explained by a borrowing from another Italic language with such a shift and/or by a folk-etymological association with the verb lingō (“to lick”); compare Old Armenian լեզու (lezu) and Lithuanian liežùvis for the latter process. Other cognates include German Zunge and English tongue.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈlin.ɡʷa/, [ˈlʲɪŋɡʷä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈlin.ɡwa/, [ˈliŋɡwä]

Noun

lingua f (genitive linguae); first declension

1. (literally) the tongue [ quotations ▼]
2. (transferred sense)
   1. (metonymically) a tongue, utterance, language, speech [ quotations ▼]
      1. the tongue or language of a people [ quotations ▼]
         1. (post-Classical) a dialect, idiom or mode of speech [ quotations ▼]
      2. (poetic, of animals) a voice, note, song, bark, etc. [ quotations ▼]
      3. an utterance, expression [ quotations ▼]
      4. to hold one's tongue (linguam comprimere, linguam tenēre) [ quotations ▼]
   2. tongue-shaped things:
      1. Ranunculus lingua (a flowering plant) [ synonym ▲][ quotations ▼]

         Synonym: lingulāca

      2. the oxtongue, bugloss [ quotations ▼]
      3. the houndstongue [ synonym ▲]

         Synonym: cynoglōssos

      4. a tongue of land [ quotations ▼]
      5. a spoonful [ synonym ▲]

         Synonym: lingula

      6. (music) the tongue or reed of a Roman tibiae [ quotations ▼]
      7. (classical mechanics) the short arm of a lever [ quotations ▼]

Inflection

First-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	lingua	linguae
Genitive	linguae	linguārum
Dative	linguae	linguīs
Accusative	linguam	linguās
Ablative	linguā	linguīs
Vocative	lingua	linguae