phlegm

American  

[flem] / flɛm /

noun

1. the thick mucus secreted in the respiratory passages and discharged through the mouth, especially that occurring in the lungs and throat passages, as during a cold.

2. one of the four elemental bodily humors of medieval physiology, regarded as causing sluggishness or apathy.

3. sluggishness, indifference, or apathy.

   Synonyms:

   impassiveness

   Antonyms:

   concern, animation

4. self-possession, calmness, or composure.

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phlegm British  

/ flɛm /

noun

1. the viscid mucus secreted by the walls of the respiratory tract

2. archaic one of the four bodily humours

3. apathy; stolidity; indifference

4. self-possession; imperturbability; coolness

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phlegm Scientific  

/ flĕm /

1. Thick mucus produced by the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection.

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Other Word Forms

• phlegmless adjective
• phlegmy adjective

Etymology

Origin of phlegm

1350–1400; Middle English fleem < Middle French flemme < Late Latin phlegma < Greek phlégma flame, phlegmatic humor, equivalent to phlég ( ein ) to burn + -ma resultative noun suffix

Example Sentences

It came out somewhere between a whisper and a wad of phlegm.

From Literature

Seth’s cough had become worse, and after an afternoon smoking fish he’d started to wheeze and spit out green phlegm, but the master did nothing about it.

From Literature

Or the way I decide it’s only polite to smile back, until the nun glares and clears the fatty phlegm from her throat.

From Literature

If it's a chesty cough then many find themselves battling what can feel like oceans of phlegm and a tight chest.

From BBC

In theory, each ingredient plays a role: one dries secretions, another loosens phlegm, a third dulls the cough reflex.

From BBC