Mucilage
/ˈmjuː.sɪ.lɪdʒ/noun
A thick, sticky substance produced by plants and some microorganisms.
Did you know?Mucilage comes from Latin *mucus* (“slime, snot”) plus the suffix *-age*, so the word literally grew out of the same root family behind “mucus.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meug-
“to be slimy, slippery”
Latin
Latin
mucus
“slime, snot, mucus”
Late Latin
Latin
mucilago
“viscous juice, slimy matter”
Old French
Old French
mucilage
“sticky substance; mucilage”
18th Century
English
mucilage
“a gummy or slimy substance”