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expectorate

ex·pec·to·rate

UK/ɪkˈspɛktəɹeɪt/ uncommon

verb

1.

clear out the chest and lungs

  • “This drug expectorates quickly”
Synonyms
2.

cough spasmodically

  • “The patient with emphysema is hacking all day”
Synonyms

Origin

From Latin expectorātus, past participle of expectorō (“(only figurative) banish from the mind; (post-classical) expel from the breast)”), from ex (“out of”) + pectus (“the breast”).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.