Saliva

How to spell saliva

6 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce saliva

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does saliva mean?

1. nounThe clear watery fluid produced by glands in the mouth that helps with chewing, tasting, and digestion.

Saliva in a sentence

• The dentist asked her to swallow because saliva was pooling under her tongue.

• A forensic test can extract usable DNA from traces of saliva on a cup.

Where does saliva come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes directly from the Latin saliva, which simply meant 'spittle' or 'the watery fluid of the mouth'. The Romans used it for exactly what we mean today, and unusually the word passed into English in the early 1500s with both its spelling and its meaning almost untouched. The deeper origins of the Latin form are uncertain, though it may be linked to older words for flowing or oozing liquid. Because it was borrowed so cleanly, the spelling is phonetic and regular, with the stress falling on the second syllable. The related adjective 'salivary', as in salivary glands, and the verb 'salivate' both descend from the same Latin root.

How the word is built

• saliv- (from Latin saliva: spittle)
• -a (Latin noun ending)