ranula

/ˈɹæn.jəl.ə/

UK: /ˈɹan.jʊl.ə/

ɹÆN · jəl · ə (3 syllables)

English Noun

Definition

A tumor or swelling located in the floor of the mouth under the tongue; specifically a bluish, domed mucocele which is associated with an obstruction of the sublingual salivary gland.

Etymology

Late Middle English, coined by French physician and surgeon Guy de Chauliac: borrowed from Latin rānula (“a little frog, a tadpole; a little swelling on the tongue of cattle”).