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

The booster has the same minor potential side effects as the first dose, including pain or redness at injection sight, swollen lymph nodes, ears ringing, and nausea.

From Popular-Science

In between teaching two of her classes, Lisa Steichmann got an ultrasound to check whether cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.

From Washington Post

Numerous muscles, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue sheaths course through this area, woven in with arteries, veins, lymph vessels, and nerves.

From Outside Online

Typically, lymph node productivity peaks at one to two weeks after vaccination, with stimulation completely ceasing between week four and week six, Deepta Bhattacharya, an immunologist at the University of Arizona, told the New York Times.

From Popular-Science

Those antibodies travel through the body’s blood and lymph systems, hunting for the source of those antigens.

From Science News For Students

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