lytta
[
lit
-
uh
]
/ˈlɪt ə/
noun
,
plural
lyttas,
lyttae
[
lit
-ee]
/ˈlɪt i/
(
Show IPA
)
1.
a long, worm-shaped cartilage in the tongue of the dog and other carnivorous animals.
Origin
1595-1605;
<
Neo-Latin
<
Greek
lýtta,
Attic
form of
lýssa
rage, rabies; so named because the cartilage was thought to be a parasite causing rabies
British Dictionary definitions for
lytta
lytta
/
ˈlɪtə
/
noun
(
pl
)
-tas,
-tae
(
-tiː
)
1.
a rodlike mass of cartilage beneath the tongue in the dog and other carnivores
Word Origin
C17: New Latin, from Greek
lussa
madness; in dogs, it was believed to be a cause of rabies