saliva

noun

sa·​li·​va sə-ˈlī-və 

: 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

Synonyms of saliva

• drool
• spit
• spittle

Examples of saliva in a Sentence

our mouths filled with saliva when we smelled the delicious dinner

Recent Examples on the Web

Bird flu spreads through feces and saliva, which can impact other animals and humans. —Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

The sport is meant to feel as if your lungs have been dunked in corrosive acid, where saliva turns to blood in your throat. —Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026

The saliva circulating in your mouth contains troves of microbial information about the rest of your body and is easier to collect than blood samples. —Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026

In saliva samples from 628 adults, researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi found that people living with obesity host a distinct oral microbiome, one that differs not just in species, but in what those microbes are actively doing. —New Atlas, 14 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for saliva

• godiva
• conjunctiva
• conjunctivae

Kids Definition

saliva

noun

sa·​li·​va sə-ˈlī-və 

: a fluid containing water, protein, salts, and often a starch-splitting enzyme that is secreted into the mouth by salivary glands

Medical Definition

saliva

noun

sa·​li·​va sə-ˈlī-və 

: 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