lymph

¹

[ limf ]

noun

1. Anatomy, Physiology. a clear yellowish, slightly alkaline, coagulable fluid, containing white blood cells in a liquid resembling blood plasma, that is derived from the tissues of the body and conveyed to the bloodstream by the lymphatic vessels.
2. Archaic. the sap of a plant.
3. Archaic. a stream or spring of clear, pure water.

lymph-

²

1. variant of lympho- before a vowel:

   lymphoma.

lymph

/ lɪmf /

noun

1. the almost colourless fluid, containing chiefly white blood cells, that is collected from the tissues of the body and transported in the lymphatic system

lymph

/ lĭmf /

1. The clear fluid flowing through the lymphatic system that serves to bathe and nourish the tissues of the body. It is composed of blood plasma that has leaked out through the capillaries into the tissues.

lymph

1. A clear, colorless fluid that circulates through the lymphatic system . Lymph fills the tissue spaces of the body.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lymph¹

1620–30; < Latin lympha water (earlier *limpa; limpid ); pseudo-Greek form, by association with nympha < Greek nýmphē nymph

Word History and Origins

Origin of lymph¹

C17: from Latin lympha water, from earlier limpa influenced in form by Greek numphē nymph

Example Sentences

First, bubonic (rhymes with pneumonic but is altogether different) is a local infection sequestered in a lymph node.

From The Daily Beast

The tumor in his colon had spread to four of his lymph nodes and penetrated the bowel wall.

From The Daily Beast

But the attitude of doctors was that if the lymph glands were swollen it was a good sign of a body fighting infection.

From The Daily Beast

The only way to move your lymph,  and the extra load of toxins from your giant meal, is to move your muscles.

From The Daily Beast

The lymph system serves to  gather and remove  cellular toxins.

From The Daily Beast

These changes are due to disturbance of the blood and lymph supply of the nervous tissue.

From Project Gutenberg

Lymph, then, is practically blood plasma plus some colorless corpuscles.

From Project Gutenberg

By means of the oxygen passed over by the lymph, oxidation may take place within the cells.

From Project Gutenberg

Another smaller lymph duct enters the right subclavian vein.

From Project Gutenberg

On its course the lymph passes through many collections of gland cells, the lymph glands.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Lymph-

What does lymph- mean?

Lymph- is a combining form used like a prefix indicating lymph, an important liquid in the body that contains white blood cells and is conveyed to the bloodstream through lymphatic vessels. Lymph- is used in many medical terms, especially in anatomy and pathology.

Lymph- comes from the Latin lympha, meaning “water.” This Latin root has been connected to the Greek word nýmphē, source of nymph in English. Discover more at our entry for nymph.

Lymph- is a variant of lympho-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.

Want to know more? Read our Words That Use lympho- article.

Closely related to lymph- and lympho- is lymphangi-, a combining form meaning “lymph vessel” and connected to the combining form angio-.

Examples of lymph-

Lymphoma is “a tumor arising from any of the cellular elements of lymph nodes.”

The first part of the word, lymph- indicates “lymph.” The suffix -oma may also look familiar; it is used to name tumors. Lymphoma literally translates to “lymph tumors.”

The word lymphoma was formed in New Latin and uses the equivalent forms lymph- and -oma in the language.

What are some words that use the combining form lymph-?

• lymphadenoma
• lymphagogue
• lymphoid
• lymphatic (using the equivalent form of lymph- in Latin)
• lymphemia
• lymphectasia

What are some other forms that lymph- may be commonly confused with?

• litho-
• lumbo-
• nympho-
• sym-

Break it down!

The combining form -agogue is used in medical terms to denote substances that cause the secretion of a fluid. With this in mind, what does an agent known as a lymphagogue cause, generally speaking?