Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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noun
A slippery secretion from the lining of the mucous membranes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: medicine, physiology, sciences
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Short for vegetable mucus
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable, usually
Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
protective secretion of the mucus membranes; in the gut it lubricates the passage of food and protects the epithelial cells; in the nose and throat and lungs it can make it difficult for bacteria to penetrate the body through the epithelium
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: mucous secretion
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: secretion
Narrower terms: phlegm, sputum, snot, booger, leukorrhea, leucorrhea
History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)mewk-der. Proto-Italic *moukos Latin mūcuslbor. English mucus Learned borrowing from Latin mūcus. Partly displaced Old English slīm, whence modern slime.
Across languages
118 source translations are retained for this English entry.
