sputa

A patient coughs sputa into a tissue.

Definition

1. Noun (plural form of ):
   • Mucus or phlegm coughed up from the respiratory tract: "sputa" refers to the mixture of saliva, mucus, and other substances expelled from the lungs, bronchi, or trachea, often examined in medical diagnoses for infections or diseases.
   • Saliva or spittle: In a broader or historical sense, "sputa" can mean any fluid ejected from the mouth, such as saliva or drool.

Usage Examples

• Medical context:
  • The doctor collected sputa samples from the patient to test for tuberculosis. (Mucus coughed up from the respiratory tract for laboratory analysis.)
• Descriptive context:
  • The sick man coughed up thick, yellow sputa throughout the night. (Phlegm expelled from the lungs.)
• Historical or casual context:
  • He wiped the sputa from his chin after the long coughing fit. (Saliva or drool expelled from the mouth.)

Advanced Usage

• "Sputa culture": a laboratory test that grows bacteria or fungi from a sputum sample to identify infections.
  • The sputa culture confirmed the presence of Streptococcus pneumoniae. (The test identified the bacteria in the mucus.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sputum (noun, singular): a single mass of mucus or phlegm coughed up.
  • One sputum sample was collected for analysis. (A single specimen of the substance.)
• Sputum (noun, uncountable): the general substance itself.
  • The sputum was examined under a microscope. (The mucus as a whole.)

Synonyms

• Phlegm: thick mucus produced in the respiratory tract, especially during illness.
• Mucus: a slimy substance secreted by mucous membranes, including in the lungs.
• Expectorate: (verb) to cough up and spit out sputum or phlegm.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

• "To cough up sputa": to expel mucus from the lungs by coughing.
  • He coughed up sputa after the deep breath. (He expelled phlegm from his respiratory system.)
• "To bring up sputa": to produce or eject sputum, often by coughing.
  • The patient brought up sputa during the examination. (He produced mucus for testing.)

Related Idioms

• "No sputa, no diagnosis": a medical saying meaning that without a sputum sample, it is difficult to diagnose certain lung conditions.
  • The doctor insisted on a sputa sample, saying, 'No sputa, no diagnosis.' (Without the mucus, the cause of the cough could not be identified.)