Rheumy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹuːmi/

Definitions

1. Characterized by an accumulation of fluid leading to a moist appearance, particularly affecting the eyes or nasal passages
2. A condition marked by increased mucus production, often resulting in watery discharge from the eyes or nose, usually associated with weather or illness
3. This term refers to a state involving excessive secretion of moisture, especially in the form of fluid in the eyes or respiratory system

Etymology: Rheumy is a plain formation: the noun "rheum", a thin discharge from the eyes or nose, with the suffix "-y", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "having the quality of" that noun. So a rheumy eye is one that has the quality of rheum, watery and running. The noun itself has a long and more surprising history. "Rheum" came into English from Old French "reume", which traces back through Latin "rheuma" to Greek "rheuma", meaning a flow or stream, from the verb "rhein", to flow. The original sense was broad: anything that flows, including a current of water. Medical writers later narrowed it to the fluid that streams from the body, and that is the sense the adjective keeps. The result is a word that began by describing a river and ended by describing a bleary eye. The noun's meaning shifted from the flow itself to the substance flowing from a body, and the adjective simply inherits that narrower sense.

Synonyms: watery, teary, mucous

Antonyms: dry