phlegm

American  

[flem] / flɛm /

noun

1. the thick mucus secreted in the respiratory passages and discharged through the mouth, especially that occurring in the lungs and throat passages, as during a cold.

2. one of the four elemental bodily humors of medieval physiology, regarded as causing sluggishness or apathy.

3. sluggishness, indifference, or apathy.

   Synonyms:

   impassiveness

   Antonyms:

   concern, animation

4. self-possession, calmness, or composure.

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phlegm British  

/ flɛm /

noun

1. the viscid mucus secreted by the walls of the respiratory tract

2. archaic one of the four bodily humours

3. apathy; stolidity; indifference

4. self-possession; imperturbability; coolness

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phlegm Scientific  

/ flĕm /

1. Thick mucus produced by the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection.

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Other Word Forms

• phlegmless adjective
• phlegmy adjective

Etymology

Origin of phlegm

1350–1400; Middle English fleem < Middle French flemme < Late Latin phlegma < Greek phlégma flame, phlegmatic humor, equivalent to phlég ( ein ) to burn + -ma resultative noun suffix

Example Sentences

Some have been coughing up phlegm and breathing in a way he described as a “death rattle.”

From Seattle Times

The Greek physician Hippocrates believed that people’s personalities were governed by the amounts of phlegm, blood, black bile and yellow bile that flowed through their bodies.

From New York Times

To confirm the infection, health practitioners take a sputum sample – phlegm that the patient coughs up – and analyze it for tuberculosis bacteria.

From Salon

“Most days I wake up with so much phlegm I can hear the crackle when I lay on my back and when I breathe,” Yenny tells me in a text message.

From Scientific American

Testing more than one phlegm sample at a time significantly increases testing capacity, maximizing the number of people who can be tested over a given period while using fewer testing resources.

From Reuters