phlegm
nounEtymology
From Middle English flewme, fleume, fleme, from Old French fleume, Middle French flemme (French flegme), and their source, Latin phlegma, from Ancient Greek φλέγμα (phlégma, “flame; inflammation; clammy humor in the body”), from φλέγειν (phlégein, “to burn”). Possible burning sensation when coughing up phlegm. Compare phlox, flagrant, flame, bleak (adjective), fulminate. Spelling later altered to resemble the word's Latin and Greek roots. The regularly developed form /fliːm/ has been displaced by a pronunciation /flɛm/ of uncertain provenance. It may be inherited, though some kind of learned or spelling pronunciation or influence from phlegmatic is also conceivable.
Definitions
One of the four humors making up the body in ancient and mediaeval medicine
One of the four humors making up the body in ancient and mediaeval medicine; said to be cold and moist, and often identified with mucus.
Viscid mucus produced by the body, later especially mucus expelled from the bronchial…
Viscid mucus produced by the body, later especially mucus expelled from the bronchial passages by coughing.
- Even some members of the new bourgeoisie indulge in conspicuously boorish behavior, like hawking phlegm onto the pavement or picking their noses at business meetings.
A watery distillation, especially one obtained from plant matter
A watery distillation, especially one obtained from plant matter; an aqueous solution.
- The attempts made to analyse vegetable substances previous to 1720, merely produced their resolution into the supposed elements of the chemists of those days, namely, salts, Earths, phlegm, and sulphur.
›+ 1 more definitionshow fewer
Calmness of temperament, composure
Calmness of temperament, composure; also seen negatively, sluggishness, indifference.
- Orloff's phlegm broke completely, and he snatched at the monocle as it dropped[.]
- But Swedish Nazis also talked of the necessity of saving Sweden from Bolshevism, and with the menacing Berlin radio gnawing in their ears many Swedes lost their Scandinavian phlegm.
The neighborhood
- neighborphlegmatic
- neighborphlegmon
Derived
dephlegm, flob, leucophlegmacy, phlegm-cutter, phlegmish, phlegmless, phlegmy
Vish — recursive loop
A definitional loop anchored at phlegm. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.
A definitional loop anchored at phlegm. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.
8 hops · closes at phlegm
curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA