Rheum

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹuːm/

Definitions

1. A watery or mucous discharge from the eyes or nose, typically resulting from cold, allergy, or inflammation
2. A thin, watery secretion that can arise from the nasal passages or eyes due to various infections or allergic reactions
3. A fluid resembling mucus that is produced in response to irritation or illness, often affecting the respiratory or ocular areas

Etymology: Ancient Greek physicians believed that many illnesses came from fluids flowing through the body, and the word "rheûma" meant "stream" or "flow" in that sense. A watery discharge from the eyes or nose was seen as a humour running out of the head, so the Greek term came to cover that flow. The word passed through Late Latin as "rheuma" and reached English through Anglo-Norman "reume," appearing in Middle English as "reume" and "rewme." English thus has a doublet of "stream": two words from the same Greek root that arrived by different routes. "Stream" came through Germanic and Old English, while "rheum" arrived through Latin and French, so their shared ancestry is easy to miss. The modern clipped form "rheum" is a different story. It is the same word as the older noun, but the rheumatologist, a doctor who treats joint and muscle disorders, took its name from "rheumatism," which also descends from "rheûma." Rheumatology and rheum thus grew from the same Greek stem.

Synonyms: mucus, phlegm, exudate, discharge, secretions