sputum

American  

[spyoo-tuhm] / ˈspyu təm /

noun

PLURAL

sputa

1. matter, as saliva mixed with mucus or pus, expectorated from the lungs and respiratory passages.

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sputum British  

/ ˈspjuːtəm /

noun

1. a mass of salivary matter ejected from the mouth

2. saliva ejected from the mouth mixed with mucus or pus exuded from the respiratory passages, as in bronchitis or bronchiectasis

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Etymology

Origin of sputum

1685–95; < Latin spūtum, noun use of neuter of spūtus, past participle of spuere to spit, equivalent to spū- variant stem + -tus past participle suffix

Compare meaning

How does sputum compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sputum vs. mucus

Example Sentences

Her bimonthly sputum cultures sometimes tested positive for lung infections, which we treated with more drugs and rounds of airway clearance.

From Washington Post

Like workers at end-of-line stations all over New York City, Ms. Ochoa, 30, was expected to scrub away grime, sputum and even human excrement, she said, without adequate training or special equipment.

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

Aslam recalled how she sent a sample of her patient’s pseudomonas-laden sputum to researchers who matched it with a virus capable of infecting and then destroying it.

From Washington Post

“Intriguingly, SARS-CoV-2 detection was positive in the anal swab of two patients and negative in throat swab and sputum samples,” they wrote.

From Washington Post