expectorate

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb clear out the chest and lungs
  2. verb discharge (phlegm or sputum) from the lungs and out of the mouth

Etymology

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”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

clear out, drive out

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