Lexic.us

Definition 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.

Definition of Saliva

1. n. The secretion from the salivary glands.

Definition of Saliva

1. Noun. (physiology) A clear, slightly alkaline liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands, consisting of water, mucin, protein, and enzymes. It moistens the mouth, lubricates ingested food, and begins the breakdown of starches. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Saliva

1. a fluid secreted by the glands of the mouth [n -S] : SALIVARY [adj]

Medical Definition of Saliva

1. The secretion from the salivary glands. 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 degestive fluid on account of the presence of the peculiar enzyme, ptyalin. Origin: L.; cf. Gr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Saliva

Literary usage of Saliva

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Lancet (1842)
"Diminished or suspended secretion of saliva may arise from three ... Deficient secretion of saliva is noticed in the writings of some of the older authors. ..."

2. Practical physiological chemistry by Philip Bovier Hawk (1918)
"Microscopical examination of the saliva reveals salivary corpuscles, bacteria, food d£bris, epithelial cells, mucus, and fungi. ..."

3. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1865)
"Chewed paraffine 10 minutes, saving saliva. The saliva from the time of rising to ten ... saliva secreted in interval from dinner to supper, two ounces. 14. ..."

4. A Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches of Other Sciences by Henry Watts (1869)
"Parotid saliva is free from mucin, contains a very small quantity of globulin, ... Bromides and iodides pass readily from the blood into saliva, ..."

5. A Textbook of Physiology by Michael Foster (1889)
"Hence the saliva can only get at the granulose by traversing the <;oats of cellulose, and the conversion of the former is thereby much hindered and delayed. ..."

6. A Text Book of Physiology by Michael Foster (1899)
"The conversion of starch into sugar, and this we may speak of as the amylolytic action of saliva, will go on at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. ..."

7. Practical physiological chemistry: A Book Designed for Use in Courses in by Philip Bovier Hawk (1916)
"Microscopical examination of the saliva reveals salivary corpuscles, bacteria, food debris, epithelial cells, mucus, and fungi. ..."

8. The Lancet (1842)
"Diminished or suspended secretion of saliva may arise from three ... Deficient secretion of saliva is noticed in the writings of some of the older authors. ..."

9. Practical physiological chemistry by Philip Bovier Hawk (1918)
"Microscopical examination of the saliva reveals salivary corpuscles, bacteria, food d£bris, epithelial cells, mucus, and fungi. ..."

10. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1865)
"Chewed paraffine 10 minutes, saving saliva. The saliva from the time of rising to ten ... saliva secreted in interval from dinner to supper, two ounces. 14. ..."

11. A Dictionary of Chemistry and the Allied Branches of Other Sciences by Henry Watts (1869)
"Parotid saliva is free from mucin, contains a very small quantity of globulin, ... Bromides and iodides pass readily from the blood into saliva, ..."

12. A Textbook of Physiology by Michael Foster (1889)
"Hence the saliva can only get at the granulose by traversing the <;oats of cellulose, and the conversion of the former is thereby much hindered and delayed. ..."

13. A Text Book of Physiology by Michael Foster (1899)
"The conversion of starch into sugar, and this we may speak of as the amylolytic action of saliva, will go on at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere. ..."

14. Practical physiological chemistry: A Book Designed for Use in Courses in by Philip Bovier Hawk (1916)
"Microscopical examination of the saliva reveals salivary corpuscles, bacteria, food debris, epithelial cells, mucus, and fungi. ..."

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