escarro

Esccarro is a noun in Portuguese that denotes saliva expelled from the mouth through spitting, or the spit itself. In everyday language it refers to the material ejected when someone spits, and in medical or clinical contexts it is used to describe sputum or expectoration produced by coughing. The term can describe the physical matter as it appears, including its color and consistency.

In medical usage, escarro is a technical term for what is commonly called sputum in English. Clinicians may classify escarro by appearance (for example, clear, mucoid, purulent, or bloody) and use the description to inform diagnosis or treatment. The word is found in Brazilian and European Portuguese, with the medical sense being the more formal register of the term.

Etymology and related forms: escarro derives from the verb escarrar, meaning to spit. It belongs to the family of Romance-language terms linked to spitting and expectoration. Related terms include escarrar-se (a reflexive form), expectoração (more general medical term for sputum), and tosse com escarro (cough with sputum).

Usage and note: Escarro appears in both everyday language and medical contexts. In common speech it may be used descriptively or metaphorically, while in clinical settings it follows standard classifications of sputum. It should not be confused with similar-sounding terms in other languages or dialects that may have unrelated meanings.

See also: sputum, expectoration, tosse, muco, escarrar.