Expectorators

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An individual who expels or throws out matter from the lungs or throat, especially mucus
2. A person who coughs up phlegm or spittle as part of a medical condition or habit
3. Someone who forcefully ejects substances from the respiratory system to clear the airways of obstructions

Etymology: "Expectorators" is simply the plural of "expectorator," which is built from "expectorate" plus the suffix "-or," an agent ending that marks a person or thing that performs an action. "Expectorate" comes from Latin "expectorare," meaning to drive from the chest, combining "ex-" (out) with "pectus" (breast or chest). The verb carries the same physical sense in English: to bring up phlegm or other matter from the lungs and throat by coughing and spitting. The noun therefore names whoever or whatever does that work. In medicine, an expectorator is usually a drug that loosens mucus so it can be coughed up, though the term can be applied to anyone or anything that forcibly clears the airways.