Like other concepts concerned with vital subjects, TONGUE, ~GLOSS~, ~LING~, and ~GLUT~ give rise to a PLEXUS of word-ideas rooted in mythology as well as to names for comPLEX functions and structures.

We explore elsewhere THROAT, PHARYNX, FAUCES or GARGANTA and GARGLING which refers to sounds of liquids and air mixing in the oro-pharynx. The oro-pharynx or FAUCES which are like a FAUCET, canal or GORGE and give rise to the terms enGORGED, inGURGITating, reGURGITation (VOMITing), - Belly, Gut, Belch, - Abdomen, Abduct, Stoma, Stomach, Gastric, Gastroschisis, Omphale, Omphalocele are also explored elsewhere.

The tongue is used for SWALLOWing or deGLUTion. In addition, humans use their tongue or LINGUA for other LINGUAL and LINGUISTICS purposes. In Greek and Slavic, GLOSSA gives rise to GLOSSARY while Yenzyk and Yesyk mean language and tongue.

Love of eating has to do with GOURMAND and GOURMET. Excessive eating may be due to a GARGANTUAN appetite, a prototype popularized by Rabelais who wrote about GARAGANTUA. Gargantua points to GARGLE and to GORGE which he did until his Gargantua GLUTTON habit of DEGLUTTING or swallowing Frenchmen living near Rouen was stopped when he was killed by some good Bishop. Since then, the Roman Church has abstained from reporting about gargantuan giants roaming France. What persists to this day are some people with a  GARGANTUAN or excessive love for eating. A current epidemic of GORGING harms the health of many otherwise GORGEOUS people. Obesity is a disease that deforms and its victims may appear to some as being GORY creatures. Also many mammals lick their young and some humans engage in cunniLINGus while others use their tongues to preach, but such subjects are not for review here. Note that modern GLUTTONS no longer GORGE on Frenchmen - instead they GORGE on french fries and other GLUTENS. Other GOURMANDS become so ENGORGED from GORGING on GLUE and GLUTENS that they can resemble GARGOYLES. Such excesses would be impossible without a healthy GULLET and a sturdy EPIGLOTTIS. As the tongue moves backward, it squeezes the nutrients toward the epiglottis, a flap or valve like lid which covers the entrance to the larynx, thus preventing food from entering the respiratory system.

A sign of megalomania may be megaloglossia or "talking too much". Macroglossia may be a clinical sign of some serious dysmorphologic syndromes.		Those who preach may suffer martyrdom including glossectomy, as poor St. Leivin did.

From Roman sayings, it is clear that the ancients viewed the tongue as a menace. Some of their views could be summarized as

Others noted that by talking too much we earn our enemies or that by eating too much we dig our own graves.

- Compiled by W. Wertelecki, M.D.