expectorate
[ ik-spek-tuh-reyt ]
/ ɪkˈspɛk təˌreɪt /
verb (used without object), ex·pec·to·rat·ed, ex·pec·to·rat·ing.
to eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting; spit.
verb (used with object), ex·pec·to·rat·ed, ex·pec·to·rat·ing.
to eject or expel (matter) in this way.
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Origin of expectorate
OTHER WORDS FROM expectorate
ex·pec·to·ra·tor, nounun·ex·pec·to·rat·ed, adjectiveWords nearby expectorate
expected frequency, expected utility, expected value, expecting, expectorant, expectorate, expectoration, expediate, expediency, expedient, expediential
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for expectorate
British Dictionary definitions for expectorate
expectorate
/ (ɪkˈspɛktəˌreɪt) /
verb
to cough up and spit out (sputum from the respiratory passages)
Derived forms of expectorate
expectoration, nounexpectorator, nounWord Origin for expectorate
C17: from Latin expectorāre, literally: to drive from the breast, expel, from pectus breast
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for expectorate
expectorate
[ ĭk-spĕk′tə-rāt′ ]
v.
To eject saliva, mucus, or other body fluid from the mouth; spit.
To clear out the chest and lungs by coughing up and spitting out matter.
Other words from expectorate
ex•pec′to•ra′tion n.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.