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Saliva - 8 dictionary results

sa⋅li⋅va

  [suh-lahy-vuh]
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–noun
a viscid, watery fluid, secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands, that functions in the tasting, chewing, and swallowing of food, moistens the mouth, and starts the digestion of starches.
Origin:
1670–80; < L salīva

Related forms:
sal⋅i⋅var⋅y  [sal-uh-ver-ee] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sa·li·va   (sə-lī'və)   
n.  The watery mixture of secretions from the salivary and oral mucous glands that lubricates chewed food, moistens the oral walls, and contains ptyalin.

[Latin salīva.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Saliva

Sa*li"va\, n. [L.; cf. Gr. ?.] (Physiol.) The secretion from the salivary glands.

Note: In man the saliva is a more or less turbid and slighty viscid fluid, generally of an alkaline reaction, and is secreted by the parotid, submaxillary, and sublingual glands. In the mouth the saliva is mixed with the secretion from the buccal glands. The secretions from the individual salivary glands have their own special characteristics, and these are not the same in all animals. In man and many animals mixed saliva, i.e., saliva composed of the secretions of all three of the salivary glands, is an important digestive fluid on account of the presence of the peculiar enzyme, ptyalin.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Saliva
Spanish: saliva,
German: der Speichel,
Japanese: つば
More Translations »

saliva [(suh-leye-vuh)]

The fluid produced by the secretions of the salivary glands. Saliva contains enzymes that begin the digestion of starches. It also moistens the mouth tissues and makes food easier to chew and swallow.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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saliva 
c.1400, from M.Fr. salive, from L. saliva "spittle," of unknown origin (perhaps, as Tucker suggests, somehow derived from the base of sallow (adj.)). Salivate is from 1657; fig. sense attested from 1970.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: sa·li·va
Pronunciation: s&-'lI-v&
Function: noun
: a slightly alkaline secretion of water, mucin, protein, salts, and oftena starch-splitting enzyme (as ptyalin) that is secreted into the mouth by salivary glands, lubricates ingested food, and often begins the breakdown of starches
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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saliva sa·li·va (sə-lī'və)
n.
The watery mixture of secretions from the salivary and oral mucous glands that lubricates chewed food, moistens the oral walls, and contains ptyalin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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saliva   (sə-lī'və)  Pronunciation Key 
The watery fluid that is secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands. In many animals, including humans, it contains the enzyme amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates. Saliva also contains mucus, which lubricates food for swallowing, and various proteins and mineral salts. Some special chemicals occur in the saliva of other animals, such as anticoagulants in the saliva of mosquitoes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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