Definition of "phlegm" [phlegm]

• Thick, sticky, stringy mucus secreted by the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection. (noun)
• One of the four humors of ancient and medieval physiology, thought to cause sluggishness, apathy, and evenness of temper. (noun)
• Sluggishness of temperament. (noun)
• Calm self-possession; equanimity. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He is coughing up phlegm from a sickness he is certain arrived with all the recent stress of divorce and debt, and now he doesn't walk so much as wobble his way into one of the closets upstairs, where he happens upon some painful, wonderful memories he keeps sealed in a plastic cup."
• "Surely our colloquial use of the word phlegm must be derived from the character of the"
• "I think we should pronounce it with the “X” sound … y’know like clearing phlegm from the back of our throat and gettin’ ready to throw a big loogy."