Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

civil tongue

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.26 in modern English

Syllables: civil -tongue
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A polite manner of speaking.

Example Sentences

""[T]here would not have been the least offence had the youth only possessed a civil tongue.""
""Mister Duane," began Bosomer, in low, stinging tones, "I happen to be Luke Stevens's side-pardner. . . . An' I want the hoss an' them guns," he shouted. "You or anybody else can have them, for all I care. I just fetched them in. But the pack is mine," replied Duane. "And say, I befriended your pard. If you can't use a civil tongue you'd better cinch it.""
"They sang "good morrow" in reply, making sure they addressed him with a civil tongue; they, after all, wanted a tip for their good service."

Inflected Forms

civil tongues (plural)

Phrases

keep a civil tongue in one's head

Questions

What does civil tongue mean?: A polite manner of speaking.

How to pronounce civil tongue

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “civil tongue”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “civil tongue”.
Repeat and practice — Say “civil tongue” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.