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
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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.