phlegm
(flɛm)
Forms: see below.
[ME. fleem, fleume, fleme, a. OF. fleume, flemme (13th c. in Littré), mod.F. flegme (dial. fleume, flême, flume) = Pr. flegma, flemma, Cat. fleuma, Sp. flema, It. flemma:—L. (post-cl.) phlegma clammy humour of the body, phlegm, a. Gr. ϕλέγ-µα inflammation, heat, morbid clammy humour (as the result of heat), f. ϕλέγ-ειν to burn, blaze. In 16–17th c. conformed in spelling to Gr.-L. original.]
A. Illustration of Forms.
(α) 4–6 fleume, flewme; 4 fleem, 5–7 fleme, 6–7 fleame, fleam, 8 fle'me.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) II. 147 Þey hadde moche fleem. 1390–1563 Fleume [see B. 1 a]. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iv. ix. (Add. MS. 27944), Flewme is an humour kyndeliche colde & moiste. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 245 Agarik Purgyth fleme and malencoly. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 91 Ane bag full of flewme. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 904 The fleame, le flegme. 1586 Bright Melanch. ii. 4 The second is fleume, next to bloud in quantitie. 1645 Milton Colast. 12 What if fleam and choler..come instead? 1650 Howell Giraffi's Rev. Naples 130 They answered prudently and with fleme. 1709 Pope Ess. Crit. 662 Our Critics..judge with fury, but they write with fle'me. |
(β) 6–7 flegme, fleagm(e, 7 fleugme, 7–8 flegm.
| 1547–64 Bauldwin Mor. Philos. (Palfr.) 44 The rest of him flegme & cholier. 1587 Golding De Mornay x. (1592) 141 Agarick purgeth Fleagme. a 1618 Raleigh Sceptick in Rem. (1651) 8 Abounding with Fleagm. 1621 Sanderson 3rd Serm., 1 Kings xxi. 29 §26 Abundance of melancholy, tough flegm. 1659 Stanley Hist. Philos. III. ii. 134 Hence are generated Choler and Flegme. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 24/2 The superfluous Flegm and Humidity. |
(γ) 6 phleume, phleugme; 6–7 phlegme, 7– phlegm; 7–8 phleam, phleme.
| 1541 R. Copland Galyen's Terapeut. 2 G iv, To purge y⊇ humours coleryke or melancolyke, or els phleume. 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Consisto, Cursus pituitae consistit, the course of the phleugme is stayed. a 1592 Greene Mamillia ii. Wks. (Grosart) II. 223 The naturall constitution of women is Phlegme, and of men Choller. 1605 Timme Quersit. i. vii. 29 A certaine watry elementary phleme. 1617 Janua Ling. 100 Phleame expelleth choler. 1660– Phlegm [see B. 2]. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. 5 Phlegme distilled from Salt of Tartar. 1684 Earl Roscom. Ess. Transl. Verse (1709) 301 Write with Fury, but correct with Phleam. |
‖ (δ) 6 flegma, 7 phlegma.
| 1527 Andrew Brunswyke's Distyll. Waters B vij, Onely the flegma of the grene herbes is dystylled. 1610 Phlegma [see B. 2]. 1657 Physical Dict., Phlegma.. is used for any distilled water which hath no spirit, as rose-water. |
B. Signification.
1. The thick viscid fluid or semifluid substance secreted by the mucous membranes, esp. of the respiratory passages; mucus. a. In old physiology, regarded as one of the four bodily ‘humours’, described as cold and moist, and supposed when predominant to cause constitutional indolence or apathy.
| 1387 [see A. α]. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 99 The moiste fleume with his cold Hath in the lunges for his hold Ordeined him a propre stede. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) iv. xxvii. 318 An armony..of the foure humours, that is to knowe of y⊇ blode, of the colour, of the fleume, and of y⊇ malancoly. 1533 Elyot Cast. Helthe i. i. (1541) 8 b, Natural fleume is a humour cold and moyst, whyte and swete, or without taste. 1563 Mirr. Mag., Rivers lxvi, They turned theyr blud to melancholick fleume. 1615 G. Sandys Trav. i. 72 Fleame hath the predominancy in his complexion. 1731 Arbuthnot Ailments vi. vii. (1735) 188 Phlegm amongst the Ancients signified a cold viscous Humour, contrary to the Etymology of the Word. 1860 Whewell Philos. Discov. iv. vi. 35 The doctrine of the Four Humours (Blood, Phlegm, Yellow Bile and Black Bile). |
b. In modern (or corresponding early) use; esp. when morbid or excessive, and discharged by cough, etc. Now chiefly in popular use, and no longer applied to the mucus of the nasal passages. So mod.F. flegme (dial. fleume, flume).
| 1486 Bk. St. Albans C vj b, And makyth flewme fall owte of the brayne. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 274 Ane hair hogeart, that hostit out flewme. 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 67 Ysope, that is gude to purge congelit fleume. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 277 Wormwood..dischargeth the brest of tough fleagme. 1732 Arbuthnot Rules of Diet in Aliments 267 To dissolve viscid Phlegm, and excite a Cough. 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xx. 229 The principal annoyance the patient suffers is in getting up the phlegm in the morning. 1877 Roberts Handbk. Med. (1894) 400 The discharge of various substances, technically termed expectoration or sputum, and popularly known as phlegm. |
† c. With a and pl. A collection or mass of phlegm, or of any mucous secretion. Obs.
| 1561 Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 15 If thou wilt..purge the head and breste..of all slymye fleumes and fylth. 1584 Cogan Haven Health cxxxiv. (1636) 136 [It] doth take away Flewmes of the Eyes. 1688 Miege Fr. Dict. s.v. Bring, To bring up a phlegm, cracher. 1727 Philip Quarll (1816) 16 A phlegm sticking in my throat, I happened to hem pretty loud. |
† d. In figurative use. Obs.
| 1565 Jewel Def. Apol. (1611) 153 In danger to be choaked with the flegme & humour of his sins. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Church-porch xvi, O England! full of sinne, but most of sloth; Spit out thy flegme, and fill thy brest with glorie. 1655 H. Vaughan Silex Scint. ii. Proffer viii, Spit out their phlegm, And fill thy brest with home. |
e. See saucefleme.
† 2. Old Chem. One of the five ‘principles’ of bodies, also called water; any watery inodorous tasteless substance obtained by distillation. Obs.
| 1471 Ripley Comp. Alch. iii. iv. in Ashm. Theat. Chem. Brit. (1652) 140 Fyrst wyth moyst Fyre and after wyth the dry: The flewme by Pacyence owt drawyng. 1610 B. Jonson Alch. ii. v, Rectifie your menstrue, from the phlegma. 1660 Sharrock Vegetables 130 Seeds steeped..in Spirit of Urine mixt with phlegm of Elder-berries. 1686 Harris tr. Lemery's Chym. 5 Water which is called Phlegm..comes in distillation before the Spirits when they are fixt, or after them when they are volatile. 1707 Curios. in Husb. & Gard. 335 Three Principles of which all things are form'd; that is to say, the Flegm, the Grease and the Ashes. The Flegm is the Mercury. 1718 Quincy Compl. Disp. 9 Phlegm or Water, is the common Vehicle or Diluter of all solid Bodies. 1791 Hamilton Berthollet's Dyeing I. i. i. v. 78 The gall-nut yields, by distillation, a limpid phlegm. 1812 Sir H. Davy Chem. Philos. 51 The attempts made to analyse vegetable substances previous to 1720 merely produced their resolution into the supposed elements of the chemists of those days—viz. salts, earths, phlegm and sulphur. |
3. The character supposed to result from predominance of phlegm (sense 1 a) in the bodily constitution; phlegmatic temperament or disposition; want of excitability or enthusiasm; coldness, dullness, sluggishness, apathy; coolness, calmness, self-possession, evenness of temper.
| 1578 T. N. tr. Conq. W. India 198 There are few nations of so much fleame or sufferance [as the Mexicans]. 1642 Howell For. Trav. (Arb.) 52 He that hath to deale with that Nation, must have good store of Phlegme and patience. 1668 Temple Let. to Ld. Arlington Wks. 1731 II. 50 Monsieur de Wit defended their Cause..with great Phlegm, but great Steddiness. 1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. I. 223 A man of more phlegm, and not so sensibly touched. 1836 Sir W. Hamilton Discuss. (1852) 281 The mathematical genius requires much phlegm, moderation, attention and circumspection. 1871 G. Meredith H. Richmond xvi, The patience of the people was creditable to their phlegm. |