saliva

/səˈlaɪvə/

/səˈlaɪvə/

Other forms: salivas

The watery stuff in your mouth is called saliva. Saliva helps you swallow, but it can also be used to prep a spit ball.

You might know saliva as spit — but officially, when you spit, you spit saliva. There are special glands inside your mouth that produce saliva, which helps you chew and swallow, and also contains enzymes that start breaking down your food so it can be digested. Saliva is a Latin word, meaning "spittle," but its origin beyond that is a mystery.

Definitions of saliva

1. noun

   a clear liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands of the mouth; moistens the mouth and starts the digestion of starches
   synonyms: spit, spittle

   types:

   dribble, drivel, drool, slobber

   saliva spilling from the mouth

   tobacco juice

   saliva colored brown by tobacco (snuff or chewing tobacco)

   type of:

   secretion

   a functionally specialized substance (especially one that is not a waste) released from a gland or cell