詞源

來自中古英語 、、，來自古法語 、中古法語 （法語 ），其來源是拉丁語 ，來自古希臘語 (phlégma, “火焰；燃燒；體內濕滑的體液”)，來自 (phlégein, “燃燒”)。對照、、、 (形容詞)、。拼法後來受拉丁語和希臘語的詞根而進行過調整。

發音

• (英國，美國) 國際音標^(幫助)：/flɛm/
• (obsolete) 國際音標^(幫助)：/fliːm/

• 音頻 (英國)：

  (檔案)

• 韻部：-ɛm

名詞

(通常不可數，複數)

1. (歷史) 黏液 （自13世紀）
   • 1993, William Dalrymple, City of Djinns, HarperCollins 1993:

     Each person's unique mixture of these substances determines his temperament: a predominance of blood gives a sanguine temperament; a predominance of phlegm makes one phlegmatic; yellow bile, bilious (or choleric); and black bile, melancholic.

2. 痰 （自14世紀）
   • 2005, "Endangered Species?" Hannah Beech, Time, 14 Nov 2005:

     "Even some members of the new bourgeoisie indulge in conspicuously boorish behavior, like hawking phlegm onto the pavement or picking their noses at business meetings."

3. (歷史，化學，鍊金術) 從植物體中獲得的蒸餾物；水溶液 （自16世紀）
   • 1812, Humphry Davy, The Elements of Chemical Philosophy, Introduction, Part I. Vol. I, pp. 50-51:

     The attempts made to analyse vegetable substances previous to 1720, merely produced their resolution into the supposed elements of the chemists of those days, namely, salts, Earths, phlegm, and sulphur.

4. 鎮定，冷靜 （自16世紀）
   • 1942, "Warning to Sweden", Time, 5 Oct 1942:

     But Swedish Nazis also talked of the necessity of saving Sweden from Bolshevism, and with the menacing Berlin radio gnawing in their ears many Swedes lost their Scandinavian phlegm.