noun · 2 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.
/ˈspjutəm/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S P Y UW1 T AH0 M
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth, composed of saliva and discharges from the respiratory passages such as mucus, phlegm or pus.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Topics: medicine, pulmonology, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
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: phlegm
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mucus, mucous secretion
History
Etymology
From New Latin, from Latin sputum (“that which is spit out, spittle”), from spuere (“to spit”).
Across languages
Translations
33 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
խորխ
(xorx)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Bashkir:
ҡаҡырыҡ
(qaqırıq)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Bulgarian:
храчки
(hrački)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Catalan:
esput
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Czech:
sputum
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Czech:
chrchel
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Finnish:
yskös
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Galician:
esgarro
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Galician:
lapo
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Georgian:
ნერწყვი
(nerc̣q̇vi)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Georgian:
დორბლი
(dorbli)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Georgian:
შისველე
(šisvele)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
German:
Sputum
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Ancient Greek:
πτύσμα
(ptúsma)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Hungarian:
köpet
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Hungarian:
váladék
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Korean:
가래
(garae)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Ladino:
balgam
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Khiamniungan Naga:
vēuhàk
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Polish:
plwocina
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Portuguese:
escarro
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Russian:
мокрота
(mokrota)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Spanish:
esputo
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Spanish:
escupitajo
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Spanish:
gargajo
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Spanish:
lapo
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Swahili:
balaghamu
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Swahili:
kohozi
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Turkish:
balgam
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Ukrainian:
мокроти́ння
(mokrotýnnja)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Ukrainian:
мокро́та
(mokróta)
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Vietnamese:
đờm
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
Vietnamese:
đàm
— matter coughed up and expectorated from the mouth
