phlegm

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“
White phlegm, which is dangerous if kept in, by reason of the air bubbles, is not equally dangerous if able to escape through the pores, although it variegates the body, generating diverse kinds of leprosies.

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Definitions (13)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun Thick, sticky, stringy mucus secreted by the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection.
  2. noun One of the four humors of ancient and medieval physiology, thought to cause sluggishness, apathy, and evenness of temper.
  3. noun Sluggishness of temperament.
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Examples (50)

  • He spat phlegm, and eased his head around into a position that served to minimize the headache. —  Analog March, 1971
  • This preference did not arise entirely from what the French term the phlegm of our national character, which cannot be affected but by powerful stimulants. —  The Dramatic Works of John Dryden Vol. I
  • Ebner's mouth sprang open to release the growl that had been clawing at his uvula like a phlegm-caked tonsil-demon. —  ChallengingDestiny#23
  • Coughing brings up phlegm, although the amount varies considerably from person to person. —  Find Free Articles - ArticlesBase
  • Decreasing the phlegm is never easy but there are steps that can be taken in attempt to lessen the phlegm. —  All Categories Featured Content - Associated Content
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

spittle ·  mucus ·  snot ·  bile ·  excrement ·  chyle ·  choler ·  sputum ·  urine ·  verjuice ·  insensibility ·  mucilage
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English fleume, mucous discharge, the humor phlegm, from Old French, from Medieval Latin phlegma, flegma, from Late Latin phlegma, the humor phlegm, from Greek, heat, the humor phlegm, from phlegein, to burn.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Also flegm, flegme, fleam, flem, etc. (see fleam); from Middle English fleme, fleume, from Old French flegme, fleume, French flegme, phlegme = Spanish flema, flegma = Portuguese flegma, fleuma, phlegma, phleugma = Italian flemma, from Middle Latin phlegma, flegma, phlegm, from Greek φλέγμα, flame, fire, heat, inflammation; hence, as the result of such heat, phlegm, a humor regarded as the matter and cause of many diseases; from φλέγειν, burn: see flame.
 

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/flɛm/
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