Tongue

Tongue
The human tongue
Details
Precursor	Pharyngeal arches, lateral lingual swelling, tuberculum impar[1]
System	Alimentary tract, gustatory system
Artery	Lingual, tonsillar branch, ascending pharyngeal
Vein	Lingual
Nerve	Sensory Anterior two-thirds: Lingual (sensation) and chorda tympani (taste) Posterior one-third: Glossopharyngeal (IX) Motor Hypoglossal (XII), except palatoglossus muscle supplied by the pharyngeal plexus via vagus (X)
Lymph	Deep cervical, submandibular, submental
Identifiers
Latin	lingua
MeSH	D014059
TA98	A05.1.04.001
TA2	2820
FMA	54640
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for chewing and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste buds housed in numerous lingual papillae. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva and is richly supplied with nerves and blood vessels. The tongue also serves as a natural means of cleaning the teeth.^[2] A major function of the tongue is the enabling of speech in humans and vocalization in other animals.

The human tongue is divided into two parts, an oral part at the front and a pharyngeal part at the back. The left and right sides are also separated along most of its length by a vertical section of fibrous tissue (the lingual septum) that results in a groove, the median sulcus, on the tongue's surface.

There are two groups of glossal muscles. The four intrinsic muscles alter the shape of the tongue and are not attached to bone. The four paired extrinsic muscles change the position of the tongue and are anchored to bone.