Mucous
/ˈmjuː.kəs/noun
Relating to or producing mucus.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Latin mucus, and the same ancient root family also gave English the idea of being “muggy,” once linked to damp, misty, heavy air.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meug-
“to be slimy, slippery, or moist”
Latin
Latin
mucus
“slime, nasal mucus”
Late Latin
Latin
mucosus
“full of mucus; slimy”
Middle English
English
mucous
“slimy; mucus-like”
Modern English
English
mucous
“producing or resembling mucus”