Definition

1. Noun:
   • Saliva, especially when expectorated: "Spittle" refers to the liquid produced in the mouth by the salivary glands. It is often used to mean this liquid after it has been spat out.

Usage

• "Spittle" is a slightly formal or literary term for saliva. It is most commonly used to describe saliva that is visible, such as when it is sprayed while talking or when it has been spat onto a surface.
• It is typically used as an uncountable noun.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The angry speaker had spittle flying from his lips.
  • She wiped a fleck of spittle from the baby's chin.
  • The boxer's spittle landed on the canvas.

Advanced Usage

• "Fleck of spittle": a small spot or droplet of saliva.
  • A fleck of spittle landed on his glasses during the heated argument.

Variants and Related Words

• Spit (noun/verb): As a noun, "spit" can be a synonym for "spittle." As a verb, it means to eject saliva or other matter from the mouth.

  • Noun: There was spit on the sidewalk.
  • Verb: It is rude to spit in public.

• Saliva (noun): The more common, general, and clinical term for the liquid produced in the mouth.

  • Saliva helps to break down food.

• Expectorate (verb): A formal term meaning to cough or spit out phlegm or saliva from the throat or lungs.

  • The patient was instructed not to expectorate on the floor.

Synonyms

• Saliva: The watery liquid in the mouth.
• Drool: Saliva that flows uncontrollably from the mouth.
• Slaver: Saliva running from the mouth.

Related Phrases

• "Spittlebug" (noun): A common name for insects in the family Cercopidae, whose nymphs produce a frothy, spit-like secretion for protection.
  • The plant stems were covered in the foam from spittlebugs.

Noun

1. a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches