Rheum
/ruːm/noun
A watery discharge from the eyes or nose, or a thick mucus-like secretion.
Did you know?In Greek medicine, rheum was imagined as a bodily flow or discharge, which is why the same root also gave English words for things that literally “run” or “stream.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*srew-
“to flow, run”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥεῖν (rheîn)
“to flow”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ῥεῦμα (rheûma)
“a flow, stream, discharge”
Late Latin
Latin
rheuma
“a bodily flux or catarrh”
Middle English
English
rheum
“a watery discharge or mucus from the eyes or nose”