saliva

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 The US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency-use authorization for the first at-home Covid-19 test that uses saliva samples, the agency said yesterday. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN, "What you need to know about coronavirus on Saturday, May 9," 9 May 2020 The idea would be to create tests that could be done at home, at school or at work with a saliva sample and develop results within a matter of minutes as opposed to hours or days. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "A coronavirus test as easy as a home pregnancy test? That's a Purdue scientist's goal," 6 May 2020 In its first phase, the program has already enrolled several hundred UCLA healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, medical aides and room attendants, for repeated viral screening that includes nasal swabs, saliva samples and blood draws. — Steve Lopezcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, "Column: These researchers aren’t waiting for COVID-19 answers, they’re finding them," 2 May 2020 Researchers are training the dogs to recognize the scent using positive saliva samples and urine. — Caitlin Yilek, Washington Examiner, "Dogs being trained to detect coronavirus cases," 29 Apr. 2020 In their study, the team compared swabs and saliva samples from patients. — Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, "Just Spit and Wait: New Coronavirus Test Offers Advantages," 29 Apr. 2020 Two of the companies selling tests that let customers collect saliva samples at home are MicroGen DX and Vault Health. — Erin Brodwin, STAT, "Startups spar with FDA over what constitutes a home coronavirus test," 10 Apr. 2020 But one company, Vault, which normally sells testosterone to men, began advertising a Covid-19 kit using saliva on April 14. — Katie Thomas, New York Times, "F.D.A. Authorizes First In-Home Test for Coronavirus," 21 Apr. 2020 But a little less saliva is probably a good thing overall. — Susan Slusser, SFChronicle.com, "A’s mailbag: Is shutdown impacting stadium push? What about ticket refunds?," 21 Apr. 2020

These 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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Last Updated

23 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Saliva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saliva. Accessed 31 May. 2020.

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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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