glossae

Glossae is the plural form of the Latin noun glossa, meaning tongue. The word ultimately derives from the Greek glōssa. In scholarly writing, glossae are used in two main senses depending on field: anatomical terminology and textual criticism.

In anatomy, glossae refer to tongue-like structures. The singular glossa denotes a tongue or tongue-shaped projection on an organ, and glossae may appear in descriptions of such features across different species or within complex anatomical terms. The term is most often encountered in Latinized phrases in older or specialized texts rather than in everyday clinical language, where more common terms like lingual or glossal may be used.

In textual criticism and philology, glossae are explanatory notes attached to a text—marginal glosses or interlinear translations intended to clarify meaning, pronunciation, or literary allusion. Collections of glossae gave rise to glossaria, and the modern term glossary is derived from this tradition. Glossae can vary from single words to full phrases and are key for understanding how ancient texts were read and taught.

The overlapping existence of glossae in these disciplines reflects how the same Latin root can evolve to distinct usages: tongue-related descriptions in anatomy and explanatory annotations in textual scholarship. In both contexts, the plural glossae signals collected or multiple instances of a tongue-like feature or an explanatory note, respectively. See also glossarium, glossography, and glossary for related concepts.