Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “phlegm” come from?

Phlegm comes from Middle English fleme, from Old French fleume, from Latin phlebotomus, from Ancient Greek φλέγμα, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to burn or swell.

phlegm (English): One of the four humors making up the body in...

Definitions

  1. One of the four humors making up the body in...

Ancestry of “phlegm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishflewmePhlegm as one of the four cardinal humours...
2Old Frenchfleumephlegm
3Latinphlegmaphlegm
4Ancient Greekφλέγμαflame, fire, heat; inflammation; phlegm, a cold...
5Ancient GreekφλέγωI set on fire, burn, scorch; I kindle, arouse,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “phlegm”

  • phlegmy
  • phlegmily
  • dephlegm
  • leucophlegmacy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →