What does lymph mean?
Lymph is a clear, usually colourless fluid that circulates through the body's lymphatic vessels. It carries lymphocytes and other immune cells, and it transports some absorbed fats from the intestine before eventually entering the bloodstream. In everyday medical language, the word most often appears in compounds such as lymph nodes, lymph vessels, and lymphatic drainage; references to swollen lymph nodes are among its most familiar uses. Lymph should not be confused with blood: it is a separate fluid moving through a different network of vessels, although the two systems are closely connected. In plant biology, lymph also denotes a watery fluid within plant tissues, but this is a much less common technical sense. The word is predominantly formal and anatomical rather than poetic, and its associations with immunity, disease, and diagnosis make it especially useful when discussing how the body monitors and responds to infection.
nounA clear, usually colourless fluid containing lymphocytes and other immune cells that circulates through the lymphatic vessels and eventually enters the bloodstream. In botany, the term can also denote a watery fluid within plant tissues.
- The clear or slightly cloudy fluid transported through the body's lymphatic vessels, carrying immune cells and, at times, absorbed dietary fats.
- A watery fluid circulating within plant tissues, similar to sap.
"The lymph passed through the lymph nodes before returning to the bloodstream."
"Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign that the immune system is responding to an infection."
"After passing through the lymph nodes, the lymph travels through larger vessels and eventually returns to the bloodstream."
Rare in modern medical usage. Lymph normally functions as an uncountable noun for the fluid; informal or older expressions such as “swollen lymphs” refer to lymph nodes.
"The doctor said the swollen lymphs in her neck were responding to the infection."
Lymph sounds mysterious until you trace it back to a Greek nymph and the clear water of a spring.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lymph come from?
The English word dates from the early 17th century and came through French lymphe from Latin lympha, meaning “water,” ultimately borrowed from Greek nymphē, meaning “nymph”. Greek nymphs were associated with springs and fresh water, accounting for the water imagery in the name. The term was later specialized in anatomical usage for the fluid carried by lymphatic vessels, and English derivatives such as lymphatic, lymphocyte, and lymphoma developed from the same root.
Related word forms
How lymph is actually used
This is primarily a formal medical and biological term. In current medical usage, the fluid is normally treated as an uncountable noun; the botanical sense is highly specialist.