Tongues or parts resembling them.

The tip of the tongue: "The apex linguae is the pointed, rounded, tip of the tongue which is usually resting against the incisor teeth that are at the lower front part of the mouth."

The upper or higher back surface of the tongue, divided by a shallow median groove that extends backward; also called the "dorsum of the tongue".

A fold of mucous membrane extending from the bottom of the mouth to the midline of the undersurface of the tongue: "The frenulum linguae attaches the tongue to the bottom of the mouth and appears to restrain or to control it."

Slip of the tongue; from Latin lapsus, a slip; an error; chiefly used in Latin phrases. English pronunciation: LAP suhs LING gwee.

This shows that a lapsus linguae can be embarrassing, to say the least. The situation could also be considered a lapsus memoriae or a "lapse of memory".

There is one more mental lapse, one that involves carelessness in writing: lapsus calami or a slip of the pen. The word calamus was a reed formerly used as a pen.

A lapsus linguae can result from laliophobia or lalophobia

In the world of human relations, a person can suffer from laliophobia (lalophobia); that is, a terror of talking or of stuttering when trying to talk.

An individual's speech difficulty may be aggravated by situations that arise from anxieties or fears of self-consciousness.

Of course, there is also the other condition called, lalomania, a compulsion or abnormal desire to talk excessively. Neither situation is considered desirable in human relations.

See this special presentation about public personalities who have committed various forms of lapsus linguae.

A click on the image will take you to the series of illustrated quizzes which will appear in random order or you may click on this image quiz link.

An embarrassing example of lapsus linguae.