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lingua

language

noun LEEN-gwah Common
Communication Language

Origin: from Latin 'lingua'

Also means

tongue

Usage Note

Lingua means both 'language' and the bodily 'tongue', the same dual sense as in many Romance languages. It lives in idioms like avere la lingua lunga ('to be a gossip', literally 'have a long tongue'); the plural is lingue.

Examples

"Studio la lingua italiana."

Natural Translation

I study the Italian language.

Literal Translation

I-study the language Italian.

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