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Definition of sputum noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

sputum

noun
 
/ˈspjuːtəm/
 
/ˈspjuːtəm/
[uncountable] (medical)
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  1. liquid from the throat or lungs, especially when it is coughed up (= forced up from the lungs, etc.) because of disease
    • blood in the sputum
    Word Originlate 17th cent.: from Latin, neuter past participle of spuere ‘to spit’.
See sputum in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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