Library / English Dictionary

SPUTUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: sputa   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

phlegm; sputum

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("sputum" is a kind of...):

mucous secretion; mucus (protective secretion of the mucous 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)

Credits

 Context examples: 

INS316 appears to improve sputum expectoration mediated through the P2Y2 receptor, a nucleotide receptor expressed in human airway epithelial cells and some other tissues.

(INS316, NCI Thesaurus)

An adenosquamous lung carcinoma detectable by sputum cytology only.

(Occult Adenosquamous Lung Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

Its detection in bronchial lavage specimens was shown to predict predicts the presence of a neoplasm with 96% sensitivity and 82% specificity earlier than routine chest X rays or sputum cytology.

(Monoclonal Antibody 703D4, NCI Thesaurus)

Cancer cells are found in sputum (mucus coughed up from the lungs), but no tumor can be found in the lung by imaging tests or bronchoscopy, or the tumor is too small to be checked.

(Occult Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, NCI Dictionary)