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| phlegm [ flem ] |
noun |
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| Definition: |
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1. thick mucus: the thick mucus secreted by the walls of the respiratory passages, especially during a cold
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2. unflappability: calmness or composure that is not easily disturbed
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3. bodily fluid determining health and emotions: in medieval medicine, one of the four basic bodily fluids humors. Phlegm was believed to be cold and moist in nature and to cause sluggishness and apathy.
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| [14th century. Via French< late Latin phlegma "clammy bodily moisture" < Greek, "inflammation, heat" < phlegein "to burn"] |
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 phlegm·y adjective |
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