Meaning & use

hypoglossal nerve

noun·Advanced

The twelfth cranial nerve, which controls the muscles that move the tongue and is essential for speech, chewing, and swallowing.

See it in a sentence

Damage to the hypoglossal nerve can cause the tongue to weaken on one side.

The surgeon carefully avoided the hypoglossal nerve during the neck procedure.

A note on using this word

This is a technical anatomical term used mainly in medicine and neuroscience.

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