saliva
noun
sa·li·va
| \ sə-ˈlī-və
\
\
Definition of saliva
: a slightly alkaline secretion of water, mucin, protein, salts, and often a starch-splitting enzyme (such as ptyalin) that is secreted into the mouth by salivary glands, lubricates ingested food, and often begins the breakdown of starches
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Examples of saliva in a Sentence
our mouths filled with saliva when we smelled the delicious dinner
Recent Examples on the Web
When Becker and Dania Davey each submitted their saliva in their AncestryDNA kits, Becker’s DNA registered as Patrick Davey’s, not her own. — Kate Thayer, chicagotribune.com, "Cancer survivor meets donors of umbilical cord blood that saved her life — after AncestryDNA says they’re related," 8 Sep. 2019 The substance, originally tree sap, is collected by bees that combine it with their own saliva and beeswax, turning it into propolis. — Christina Butan, PEOPLE.com, "Kylie Jenner Uses This $14 Throat Spray To Fight Off Colds — and It’s on Amazon," 3 Sep. 2019 But Frances’s paralysis affected her throat, causing her to periodically choke on her own saliva. — Ann Neumann, Harper's magazine, "Going to Extremes," 10 June 2019 If a pet is infected, people, too, can contract tularemia via their pet’s saliva or by handling infected hares. — Fox News, "Alaska officials warn hares could spread deadly disease to people, pets," 8 June 2019 Companies like Nutrigenomix and DNAFit will now test a swab of your saliva for various DNA markers and send you a detailed report on what to consume in order to optimize health for your particular body. — Bee Wilson, WSJ, "A Philosophy of Food as Medicine," 21 Mar. 2019 Through investigation, researchers found that these pots were contaminated by fruit bats, who spread the virus through saliva and other bodily fluids. — Daniel Fernandez, Smithsonian, "How Globalization Changed the Way We Fight Disease," 4 June 2018 About 85 percent of people secrete their blood type in saliva and body fluids, but the rape suspect was in the roughly 15 percent who didn't. — CBS News, "Search for "Golden State Killer" led to wrong man in 2017," 27 Apr. 2018 Millions of Americans are doing it — packing up samples of their saliva and mailing it off to an online genealogy company to analyze their DNA and help trace their family tree. — Dale Kasler And Anita Chabria, sacbee, "How private is your DNA on ancestry websites? East Area Rapist case raises questions | The Sacramento Bee," 26 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'saliva.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for saliva
saliva
noun
English Language Learners Definition of saliva
: the liquid produced in your mouth that keeps your mouth moist and makes it easier to swallow food
See the full definition for saliva in the English Language Learners Dictionary
saliva
noun
sa·li·va
| \ sə-ˈlī-və
\
\
Kids Definition of saliva
: a watery fluid that moistens chewed food and contains enzymes which break down starch and that is secreted into the mouth from three pairs of glands near the mouth
saliva
noun
sa·li·va
| \ sə-ˈlī-və
\
\
Medical Definition of saliva
: a slightly alkaline secretion of water, mucin, protein, salts, and often a starch-splitting enzyme (as ptyalin) that is secreted into the mouth by salivary glands, lubricates ingested food, and often begins the breakdown of starches
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