lymph

¹ American  

[limf] / lɪmf /

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.

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lymph- ² American  

1. variant of lympho- before a vowel.

   lymphoma.

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lymph British  

/ 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

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lymph Scientific  

/ 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.

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lymph Cultural  

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

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Usage

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-.

Etymology

Origin of lymph

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

Example Sentences

“I’ve beaten melanoma. I’ve beaten lymphoma. I’ve beaten vocal cord cancer. I’ve beaten lymph node cancer. I’m four for four and I’m fully confident I’m going to make it five for five.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

The team also tested the vaccine in a preclinical human model using the Wyss Institute's microfluidic human Organ Chip technology, which simulates a human lymph node in vitro.

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

“I had silicone all over my lymph nodes,” the reality TV star told TMZ.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

"She was also dehydrated and they thought it was a lymph node infection. They sent her home with antibiotics and some apple juice to drink."

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2026

Here she could envision a man’s skeleton, his musculature; she could describe the workings of his lymph nodes.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen