expectorate

expectorate
expectorate (v.) c.1600, "to clear out the chest or lungs," from L. expectoratus, pp. of expectorare "scorn, expel from the mind," lit. "make a clean breast," from ex- "out" (see EX- (Cf. ex-)) + pectus (gen. pectoris) "breast" (see PECTORAL (Cf. pectoral)). Use as a euphemism for "spit" is first recorded 1827. Original sense in expectorant. Related: Expectorated; expectorating.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Expectorate — Ex*pec to*rate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Expectorated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Expectorating}.] [L. expecrorare to drive from the breast; ex out + pectus, pectiris, breast. See {Pectoral}.] To eject from the trachea or lungs; to discharge, as phlegm or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Expectorate — Ex*pec to*rate, v. i. To discharge matter from the lungs or throat by hawking and spitting; to spit. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • expectorate — ► VERB ▪ cough or spit out (phlegm) from the throat or lungs. DERIVATIVES expectoration noun. ORIGIN Latin expectorare expel from the chest …   English terms dictionary

  • expectorate — [ek spek′tə rāt΄, ikspek′tə rāt΄] vt., vi. expectorated, expectorating [< L expectoratus, pp. of expectorare, to expel from the breast < ex , out + pectus (gen. pectoris), breast] 1. to cough up and spit out (phlegm, mucus, etc.) 2. to spit …   English World dictionary

  • expectorate, spit —  The distinction between these two is not, it must be conceded, often a matter of great moment, but still it is worth noting that there is a distinction. To spit means to expel saliva; to expectorate is to dredge up and expel phlegm from the… …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • expectorate, spit —    The distinction between these two is not, it must be conceded, often a matter of great moment, but still it is worth noting that there is a distinction. To spit means to expel saliva; to expectorate is to dredge up and expel phlegm from the… …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • expectorate, spit —    The distinction between these two is not, it must be conceded, often a matter of great moment, but still it is worth noting that there is a distinction. To spit means to expel saliva; to expectorate is to dredge up and expel phlegm from the… …   Dictionary of troublesome word

  • expectorate — verb ( rated; rating) Etymology: Latin expectoratus, past participle of expectorare to banish from the mind (taken to mean literally “to expel from the chest”), from ex + pector , pectus breast, soul more at pectoral Date: 1601 transitive verb 1 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • expectorate — expectorator, n. /ik spek teuh rayt /, v., expectorated, expectorating. v.i. 1. to eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting; spit. v.t. 2. to eject or expel (matter) in this way. [1595 1605; …   Universalium

  • expectorate — verb /ɪkˈspɛktəreɪt/ a) To cough up fluid from the lungs. b) To spit. See Also: expectorant, expectoration …   Wiktionary

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