sputum
matter, as saliva mixed with mucus or pus, expectorated from the lungs and respiratory passages.
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Origin of sputum
1Words Nearby sputum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sputum in a sentence
Invented in 1983, PCR is a multi-step test to detect infectious agents, including viruses in humans, using a sample of sputum or other genetic material.
The CDC’s failed race against covid-19: A threat underestimated and a test overcomplicated | David Willman | December 26, 2020 | Washington PostThird, the virus could not be found in sputum, further supporting the clear observation that airborne spread does not occur.
Did One Liberian Prostitute Give Ebola to Eight Soldiers? | Kent Sepkowitz | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt, or a similar bacillus, is sometimes found in the sputum of gangrene of the lung.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddIt is to be remembered, however, that a few of these bacteria may reach the sputum from the upper air-passages.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddIt is sometimes met with in the sputum of catarrhal pneumonia, bronchitis, and tuberculosis.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
Diplococci without capsules are common in the sputum, but have no special significance.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddIt is especially useful with cultures upon serum media, but is applicable also to the sputum.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for sputum
/ (ˈspjuːtəm) /
a mass of salivary matter ejected from the mouth
saliva ejected from the mouth mixed with mucus or pus exuded from the respiratory passages, as in bronchitis or bronchiectasis
Origin of sputum
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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