phlegm
/flem/noun
mass noun
1- the thick viscous substance secreted by the mucous membranes of the respiratory passages, especially when produced in excessive or abnormal quantities e.g. when someone is suffering from a cold痰, 黏痰。
1.1
- (in medieval science and medicine) one of the four bodily humours, believed to be associated with a calm, stolid, or apathetic temperament（中世纪科学和医学用语）黏液（四种体液之一, 据信与冷静或缺乏热情的性格有关）。
1.2
- calmness of temperament冷静; 沉着; 镇定：
phlegm and determination carried them through many difficult situations.
沉着和坚决使他们渡过了许多难关。
派生词
phlegmy
adjective词源
Middle English fleem, fleume, from Old French fleume, from late Latin phlegma 'clammy moisture (of the body)', from Greek phlegma 'inflammation', from phlegein 'to burn'. The spelling change in the 16th cent. was due to association with the Latin and Greek.