sputum

[ spyoo-tuhm ]

noun

, plural spu·ta [spyoo, -t, uh].

1. matter, as saliva mixed with mucus or pus, expectorated from the lungs and respiratory passages.

sputum

/ ˈspjuːtəm /

noun

1. a mass of salivary matter ejected from the mouth
2. saliva ejected from the mouth mixed with mucus or pus exuded from the respiratory passages, as in bronchitis or bronchiectasis

Word History and Origins

Origin of sputum¹

1685–95; < Latin spūtum, noun use of neuter of spūtus, past participle of spuere to spit, equivalent to spū- variant stem + -tus past participle suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of sputum¹

C17: from Latin: spittle, from spuere to spit out

Example Sentences

A few weeks later on April Fool’s Day in 2007, Google would announce a new feature called “Gmail Paper” offering users the chance to have Google print out their email archive on “94% post-consumer organic soybean sputum ” and then have it sent to them through the Postal Service.

From Seattle Times

It also delivered results in less than four hours for urine, pus, and sputum samples, and within one day for blood samples.

From Science Daily

In this study, experts engineered a living material resembling natural sputum, or phlegm, from CF patients that can grow 3D polymicrobial biofilms in a controlled manner, resembling those found in the CF lung.

From Science Daily

The living material incorporates multiple microbial communities and key nutritional and chemical factors that promote bacterial growth and exhibit physical properties mimicking those of biofilms from CF sputum.

From Science Daily

The team were able to achieve this by combining peptides with a culture medium that is known to recreate natural sputum and which can be easily infected.

From Science Daily