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DictionarysputumCoughed-up mucus
noun

sputum

SPYOO-tum/ˈspjuːtəm/

Mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract.

The man coughs sputum into a tissue.

A young adult man has just coughed into a white tissue, revealing a small amount of thick mucus.
Etymology
sputumLatinspittle

Latin sputum names spittle as something “spat out,” using a participle of the verb meaning to spit. The English medical sense specifies material brought up from the lungs or airways.

In context

TED10:35
10-day history of fevers, night sweats, bloody sputum -- she's coughing up blood -- muscle pain.
Joe DeRisi: Hunting the next killer virus

More examples

  • He coughed sputum into the specimen container.
  • The laboratory examined the sputum under a microscope.
  • The report recorded blood in the sputum.

Forms

sputum

Similar words

saliva
Saliva is produced in the mouth; sputum is coughed up from the airways.
mucus
Mucus is produced in many body passages; sputum is the material coughed from the respiratory tract.