What does expectoration mean?
Expectoration is a formal, primarily medical noun denoting the act of coughing up and spitting out mucus or phlegm from the respiratory tract, as well as the expelled substance itself. Derived from the Latin verb expectorare, meaning "to drive out of the chest," it entered English in the early modern period and remains standard terminology in clinical contexts, where physicians assess a patient's expectoration for color, volume, and consistency as diagnostic clues. In ordinary conversation the word rarely appears; speakers prefer plainer phrases such as "coughing up phlegm," while medical writers may favor the related term "sputum" when referring specifically to the expelled material. Its derivatives include the verb "expectorate" and the noun "expectorant," the latter naming a medicine that promotes clearance of mucus from the airways. Though unglamorous, expectoration is a precise, useful term wherever respiratory symptoms must be described accurately.
nounThe action of coughing up and spitting out mucus or phlegm from the throat or lungs; also, the matter so expelled.
- The act of coughing up and spitting out mucus, phlegm, or other matter from the throat or lungs.
- The substance expelled by such action; sputum.
"The patient's persistent expectoration of greenish sputum prompted the physician to order a chest X-ray."
"Frequent expectoration was listed among the symptoms the miners reported to the examining doctor."
"A laboratory analysis of the expectoration revealed the presence of tuberculosis bacteria."
Usually uncountable; the plural appears mainly in clinical descriptions of multiple samples or episodes.
"Repeated examinations of the patient's expectorations confirmed the diagnosis."
From the Latin for "to drive out of the chest," this clinical word turns an everyday act into something a Victorian doctor would write down with perfect seriousness.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of expectoration
Expectoration derives from the Latin expectorare, formed from ex- ("out") plus pectus/pectoris ("chest" or "breast"), literally "to drive out of the chest." It entered English in the early 17th century, initially carrying both the literal sense of spitting and a figurative sense of discharging speech or feelings, which has since fallen away. It shares its Latin root pectus with related words built on the same stem, and its sibling forms include the verb expectorate and the noun expectorant.
Related word forms
How expectoration is actually used
Formal and chiefly medical or clinical in register; in everyday speech people simply say "spitting up phlegm" or refer to "sputum." The word carries no strong emotional charge but can sound faintly unpleasant to lay ears because of its association with disease.
Easily confused with expectoration
"Expectation" means a belief about what will happen in the future, while "expectoration" refers to coughing up and spitting out mucus from the respiratory tract.
An "expectorant" is a medication that helps clear mucus from the airways, whereas "expectoration" is the act or material of expelling that mucus.