tongue-tie

American  

[tuhng-tahy] / ˈtʌŋˌtaɪ /

noun

1. impeded motion of the tongue caused especially by shortness of the frenum, which binds it to the floor of the mouth.

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verb (used with object)

tongue-tied, tongue-tying

1. to make tongue-tied.

tongue-tie British  

noun

1. a congenital condition in which the tongue has restricted mobility as the result of an abnormally short frenulum

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Etymology

Origin of tongue-tie

First recorded in 1545–55; back formation from tongue-tied

Example Sentences

Panic rose, and suddenly, she was back in front of the class; everybody was staring at her, and she was tongue-tied.

From Literature

You couldn’t be tongue-tied nor catch a case of lockjaw, or Tansy would give you an F. She was quick with her F’s.

From Literature

The invitation was so unexpected that I blinked at her, tongue-tied, then glanced at James.

From Literature

Yet, that she made it at all makes every frame feel personal, and you hear her affection for the cadence of her occasionally tongue-tied subjects.

From Los Angeles Times

Make it five minutes,” the software would, in theory, be able to figure out what the tongue-tied person meant to say.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cut off
• gag
• muffle
• mute
• muzzle
• quash
• quell
• squelch
• stifle
• subdue
• suppress