Spanish word

saliva

Pronunciation

IPA/saˈliβa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsaliva

Example

La saliva ayuda a digerir los alimentos.

Saliva helps digest food.

Illustration for saliva (saliva)

More examples

Tuve que tragar saliva antes de hablar.

I had to swallow saliva before speaking.

Core concept

Mouth fluid that moistens food and begins digestion.

Common phrases

  • tragar saliva

    swallow saliva

  • escupir saliva

    spit saliva

  • mucha saliva

    a lot of saliva

Similar words

baba: Watery drool that drips from the mouth, often produced during sleep or by infants.
escupitajo: Small blob of saliva spat out from the mouth.

Definition in Spanish

Líquido claro y algo viscoso que se produce en la boca y ayuda a humedecer los alimentos y al comienzo de la digestión.

Word origin

Borrowed unchanged from Latin saliva, originally the ancient term for the mouth's secretion.

Usage tips

  • La saliva is feminine and usually uncountable, so use expressions like un poco de saliva rather than an English-style count form.

Opposites

Related words

  • salivarsalivateverb
  • salivaciónsalivationnoun

Word lists with this word