Transverse muscle of tongue

The transverse muscle of tongue (transversus linguae) is an intrinsic muscle of the tongue. It consists of fibers which arise from the median fibrous septum and pass lateralward to be inserted into the submucous fibrous tissue at the sides of the tongue.

The transverse lingual muscle is innervated by cranial nerve XII, the hypoglossal. This muscle functions to narrow and elongate the tongue.