SPUTUM • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Sputum

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/spjˈutəm/ Listen

Sputum

noun

(pl. sputa)

Expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause sluggishness. Synonym: phlegm.

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Etymology of 'Sputum'

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sputum smear

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"Sputum" Quotes from Famous Books

... lungs, what they cough and spit out of their mouths and blow out of their noses (we call it sputum) has the germs, or seeds, of the disease in it. So, to keep other people from catching the disease, they must hold something before the face when they cough, and they must catch the sputum in paper (newspapers or paper napkins are very good for this) and burn it, for burning kills the germs. Then, too, they must not kiss other people on the mouth, and others must not kiss them. They must use their own drinking-cups, and never lend or borrow a cup. You see, you can look out ...

— The Child's Day • Woods Hutchinson

... attack lasts a few minutes to many hours, and may pass off suddenly, perhaps to recur soon, or on several successive nights, with slight cough and difficulty in breathing in the intervals. The cough is nearly dry at first and the sputum is ...

— Mother's Remedies - Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers - of the United States and Canada • T. J. Ritter

Words linked to "Sputum" : sputum smear, mucus, mucous secretion