Sputum
/ˈspjuːtəm/noun
Mucus and saliva coughed up from the respiratory tract.
Did you know?In classical Latin, sputum was literally “that which is spat out,” and English kept the word through medical Latin as a clinical label for expelled bodily matter.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spey-
“to spit, eject”
Classical Latin
Latin
spuere
“to spit”
Classical Latin
Latin
sputum
“that which has been spat out”
Late Latin / Medical Latin
Latin
sputum
“phlegm or expectoration”
Modern English
English
sputum
“mucus coughed up from the lungs or airways”