mucus
pronunciation
How to pronounce mucus in British English:
UK [ˈmju:kəs]
How to pronounce mucus in American English:
US [ˈmjukəs]
-
- Noun:
- 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
Word Origin
- mucus
- mucus: [17] Mucus was borrowed from Latin mūcus ‘nasal mucus’, which was related to two ancient verbs for ‘blow the nose’: Greek mússesthai and Latin ēmungere. The homophonic adjectival derivative mucous [17] (as in mucous membrane) comes from Latin mūcōsus. Related forms to have reached English are mucilage [14], from the late Latin derivative mūcilāgō, and moist.=> moist, mucilage
- mucus (n.)
- 1660s (replacing Middle English mucilage), from Latin mucus "slime, mold, mucus of the nose, snot," from PIE root *meug- "slippery, slimy," with derivatives referring to wet or slimy substances or conditions (cognates: Latin emungere "to sneeze out, blow one's nose," mucere "be moldy or musty," Greek myssesthai "to blow the nose," myxa "mucus," mykes "fungus," Sanskrit muncati "he releases"). Old English had horh, which may be imitative.
Example
- 1. Pink colored phlegm appears mucus tinged with pink color .
- 2. Some people think it only causes more mucus .
- 3. Over the next six days , the volunteers reported on any aches , pains , sneezing or congestion they had , while the researchers collected objective data , like daily mucus production .
- 4. Tubes inside the lung become chronically inflamed , producing excess mucus .
- 5. Chicken soup also contains cold-fighting compounds that help dissolve mucus in the lungs and suppress inflammation .