PHLEGM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does phlegm mean? 

• PHLEGM (noun)
  The noun PHLEGM has 3 senses:

1. apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions

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

3. inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy

  Familiarity information: PHLEGM used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PHLEGM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

emotionlessness; impassiveness; impassivity; indifference; phlegm; stolidity; unemotionality

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

apathy (an absence of emotion or enthusiasm)

Derivation:

phlegmatic; phlegmatical (showing little emotion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

phlegm; sputum

Hypernyms ("phlegm" 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)

Derivation:

phlegmy (characterized by phlegm)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

flatness; languor; lethargy; phlegm; sluggishness

Context example:

the general appearance of sluggishness alarmed his friends

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

inactiveness; inactivity; inertia (a disposition to remain inactive or inert)

Derivation:

phlegmatic; phlegmatical (showing little emotion)

 Context examples 

A buildup of phlegm may be caused by infection, irritation, or chronic lung disease, and can cause discomfort in the chest and coughing.

(Phlegm, NCI Dictionary)

A questionnaire designed by the American Thoracic Society that assesses cough, phlegm, wheezing, breathlessness, illness and risk factors.

(ATS-DLD-78 Adult Questionnaire, NCI Thesaurus)

Emphysema is a debilitating disease, and people with emphysema have difficulty breathing along with a persistent cough and phlegm.

(Study finds link between long-term exposure to air pollution and emphysema, National Institutes of Health)

Lotty, with Teutonic phlegm, was calmly eating bread and currant wine, for the jelly was still in a hopelessly liquid state, while Mrs. Brooke, with her apron over her head, sat sobbing dismally.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Let those talk of the phlegm of our countrymen who have never seen them when the lava crust of restraint is broken, and when for an instant the strong, enduring fires of the North glow upon the surface.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Symptoms of acute inhalation injuries may include: • Coughing and phlegm • A scratchy throat • Irritated sinuses • Shortness of breath • Chest pain or tightness • Headaches • Stinging eyes • A runny nose • If you already have asthma, it may get worse.

(Inhalation Injuries, Environmental Protection Agency)