The hyoglossus is a thin and quadrilateral extrinsic muscle of the tongue. It originates from the hyoid bone; it inserts onto the side of the tongue. It is innervated by the hypoglossal nerve (cranial nerve XII). It acts to depress and retract the tongue.
from the side of the body and from the whole length of the greater cornu of the hyoid bone. The fibers arising from the body of the hyoid bone overlap those from the greater cornu.
