expectorate
/ɪkˈspɛktəɹeɪt/
"expectorate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“expectorate” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cough up fluid from the lungs.
Corpus desk
Index EN-expectorate · expectorate · English
expectorate · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "E" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | expectorate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɪkˈspɛktəɹeɪt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “expectorate” in English
Rare enough to double-check
expectorate is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪkˈspɛktəɹeɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for expectorate in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin expectorātus, past participle of expectorō (“(only figurative) banish from the mind; (post-classical) expel from the breast)”), from ex (“out of”) + pectus (“the breast”). The correct English form is expectorate, spelled E-X-P-E-C-T-O-R-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To cough up fluid from the lungs.
- 2To spit.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how expectorate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
These rules are equally applicable to pneumonia and perhaps also to bronchitis. It will, therefore, be best to call them, not rules for consumptives, but for all persons who cough and expectorate .
…the gap in his upper row of teeth enabled him to expectorate in a new and admirable way.
Etymology
From Latin expectorātus, past participle of expectorō (“(only figurative) banish from the mind; (post-classical) expel from the breast)”), from ex (“out of”) + pectus (“the breast”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.