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DictionaryspittleSaliva
noun

spittle

SPIT-uhl/ˈspɪtl/

Saliva, especially when spat from the mouth.

A small droplet of spittle falls toward the tissue.

Close side view of an adult mouth with a tiny clear saliva droplet being expelled into a tissue held below; clean restrained depiction, no disgust or illness.
Etymology
spittleMiddle Englishsaliva

Middle English spetel named saliva, and spittle probably continues that word. Its connection with expelling saliva is also reflected in the related Middle English verb spitelen, meaning “spit something out.”

In context

TopicsDive51:04
one is not to swallow their spittle while they are about the sick but rather to spit it out
Short Discourse Concerning Pestilential Contagion, and the Methods to Be Used to Prevent It 🏆 By R

More examples

  • He wiped spittle from his chin.
  • The speaker's forceful words sent spittle from his mouth.
  • A little spittle clung to the tissue.

Forms

spittle

Similar words

saliva
Saliva is the neutral biological term; spittle often refers to saliva expelled from the mouth.
sputum
Sputum is coughed up from the airways; spittle is saliva.