Standard Lemma guide

phlegm

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK, US: /flɛm/
  • obsolete: /fliːm/
  • Early, Modern: /flɛːm/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛm
  • CMU ARPABET: F L EH1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Viscid mucus produced by the body, later especially mucus expelled from the bronchial passages by coughing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A watery distillation, especially one obtained from plant matter; an aqueous solution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical, uncountable, usually

Topics: alchemy, chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, pseudoscience

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Calmness of temperament, composure; also seen negatively, sluggishness, indifference.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the general appearance of sluggishness alarmed his friends

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: languor, lethargy, sluggishness, flatness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inactiveness, inactivity, inertia

6

noun

Meaning 6

expectorated matter; saliva mixed with discharges from the respiratory passages; in ancient and medieval physiology it was believed to cause sluggishness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sputum

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mucus, mucous secretion

7

noun

Meaning 7

apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: emotionlessness, impassivity, impassiveness, indifference, stolidity, unemotionality

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: apathy

History

Etymology

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.

Across languages

Translations

170 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بَلْغَم (balḡam) — historical: humour
  • Catalan: flegma — historical: humour
  • Finnish: lima — historical: humour
  • French: flegme — historical: humour
  • French: pituite — historical: humour
  • Galician: flegma — historical: humour
  • German: Phlegma — historical: humour
  • Ancient Greek: φλέγμα (phlégma) — historical: humour
  • Hebrew: לֵחָה (lekha) — historical: humour
  • Latin: pītuīta — historical: humour
  • Persian: بلغم (balġam) — historical: humour
  • Portuguese: fleuma — historical: humour
  • Portuguese: flegma — historical: humour
  • Russian: фле́гма (flégma) — historical: humour
  • Spanish: flegma — historical: humour
  • Spanish: flema — historical: humour
  • Tagalog: plema — historical: humour
  • Arabic: بَلْغَم (balḡam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Arabic: قُشَاعَة (qušāʕa) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Arabic: بلغم (balğam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Armenian: խորխ (xorx) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Assamese: খেঁকাৰ (khẽkar) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Azerbaijani: bəlğəm — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Bashkir: ҡаҡырыҡ (qaqırıq) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Belarusian: макро́та (makróta) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Belarusian: харко́ціна (xarkócina) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Belarusian: слізь (slizʹ) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Bulgarian: хра́чки (hráčki) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Bulgarian: слуз (sluz) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Burmese: သလိပ် (sa.lip) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Burmese: အချွဲ (a.hkywai:) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Catalan: flegma — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Catalan: gargall — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Cebuano: plema — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Cebuano: kughal — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Chinese Mandarin: 痰 (tán) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Czech: hlen — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Czech: sopel — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Czech: sliz — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Danish: slim — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Dutch: slijm — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Finnish: lima — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • French: glaire — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Galician: flegma — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Galician: gargallo — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Galician: esgarro — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Georgian: ლორწო (lorc̣o) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Georgian: ლორწოვანი ნახველი (lorc̣ovani naxveli) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Georgian: ნახველი (naxveli) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • German: Schleim — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • German: Nasenschleim — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • German: Popel — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Greek: φλέματα (flémata) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ancient Greek: φλέγμα (phlégma) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Hebrew: לֵחָה — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Hebrew: כִּיחַ (ki'akh) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Hindi: बलग़म (balġam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Hindi: बलगम (balgam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Hindi: कफ (kaph) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Hindi: श्लेष्मा (śleṣmā) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Icelandic: öndunarfæraslím — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Icelandic: kvefslím — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ilocano: turkak — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Indonesian: dahak — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Irish: réama — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Italian: espettorato — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Japanese: 痰 (tan) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Kapampangan: badlo — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Kazakh: қақырық (qaqyryq) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Khmer: ស្លេស្ម (slaeh) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Khmer: សេមហកលា (seemhaʼkaʼlaa) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Kikuyu: kohozi — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Kikuyu: makorora — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Korean: 가래 (garae) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Kyrgyz: какырык (kakırık) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Lao: ສເລດ (sa lēt) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Lao: ອາກ (ʼāk) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Latin: pītuīta — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Lithuanian: skrepliai — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Macedonian: слуз (sluz) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Malay: kahak — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Māori: wharo — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Māori: wharowharo — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Māori: mare — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Māori: maremare — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Mongolian: цэр (cer) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Mongolian: салс (sals) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Mongolian: ᠴᠡᠷ (čer) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Mongolian: ᠰᠠᠯᠢᠰᠤ (salisu) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Muna: feaghi — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Navajo: chátłʼish — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Norwegian Bokmål: slim — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: slim — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ojibwe: agig — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Pashto: بلغم (balǧam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Persian: بلغم (balġam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Polish: śluz — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Polish: flegma — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Portuguese: catarro — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Romanian: flegmă — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Russian: мокро́та (mokróta) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Russian: слизь (slizʹ) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Russian: фле́гма (flégma) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Sanskrit: श्लेष्मन् (śleṣman) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Sanskrit: कफ (kapha) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Sanskrit: खट (khaṭa) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Serbo-Croatian: слу̑з — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Serbo-Croatian: slȗz — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Slovak: hlien — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Slovak: sliz — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Slovene: sluz — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Southern Altai: какырык (kakïrïk) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Spanish: flema — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Spanish: sheta — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Spanish: flegma — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Spanish: gargajo — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Spanish: esputo — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Swahili: kohozi — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Swedish: slem — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tagalog: kalaghala — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tagalog: kanaghala — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tagalog: kanighala — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tagalog: plema — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tajik: балғам (balġam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tamil: சளி (caḷi) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Thai: เสลด (sà-lèet) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Thai: เสมหะ (sěem-hà) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Thai: สิ่งขาก — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Tibetan: ལུད་པ (lud pa) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Turkish: balgam — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ottoman Turkish: بلغم (belgam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Turkmen: gakylyk — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ukrainian: мокроти́ння (mokrotýnnja) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ukrainian: мокро́та (mokróta) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ukrainian: харкоти́ння (xarkotýnnja) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Ukrainian: слиз (slyz) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Urdu: بلغم (balġam) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Uyghur: بەلغەم (belghem) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Uyghur: خەپرۈك (xeprük) — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Uzbek: balgʻam — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Vietnamese: đờm — mucus secreted in the bronchial passages
  • Bulgarian: му́дност (múdnost) — calmness, composure
  • Bulgarian: флегмати́чност (flegmatíčnost) — calmness, composure
  • Catalan: flegma — calmness, composure
  • Finnish: tyyneys — calmness, composure
  • Finnish: flegma — calmness, composure
  • French: flegme — calmness, composure
  • Galician: flegma — calmness, composure
  • Galician: cachaza — calmness, composure
  • Georgian: ფლეგმატურობა (plegmaṭuroba) — calmness, composure
  • Georgian: სიმშვიდე (simšvide) — calmness, composure
  • Georgian: აუღელვებლობა (auɣelvebloba) — calmness, composure
  • Georgian: გულგრილობა (gulgriloba) — calmness, composure
  • German: Gemütsruhe — calmness, composure
  • German: Gleichmut — calmness, composure
  • German: Trägheit — calmness, composure
  • German: Schwerfälligkeit — calmness, composure
  • German: stoische Ruhe — calmness, composure
  • German: Phlegma — calmness, composure
  • Greek: φλέγμα (flégma) — calmness, composure
  • Icelandic: rólyndi — calmness, composure
  • Icelandic: deyfð — calmness, composure
  • Irish: fuarchúis — calmness, composure
  • Italian: flemma — calmness, composure
  • Japanese: 冷静さ (reiseisa) — calmness, composure
  • Portuguese: fleuma — calmness, composure
  • Russian: фле́гма (flégma) — calmness, composure
  • Russian: флегмати́чность (flegmatíčnostʹ) — calmness, composure
  • Spanish: flema — calmness, composure
  • Spanish: flegma — calmness, composure