lymph

[limf] /lɪmf/

noun

Anatomy, Physiology. a clear yellowish, slightly alkaline, coagulable fluid, containing white blood cells in a liquid resembling blood plasma, that is derived from the tissues of the body and conveyed to the bloodstream by the lymphatic vessels.

Archaic. the sap of a plant.

Archaic. a stream or spring of clear, pure water.

Origin

1620-30; < Latin lympha water (earlier *limpa; see limpid); pseudo-Greek form, by association with nympha < Greek nýmphē nymph

lymph-

variant of lympho- before a vowel:

lymphoma.

Examples from the web for lymph

In infancy, scrofulous lymph nodes were found in his neck and attributed to the tuberculosis of his wet nurse.
Some of the potentially harmful ink ends up in the body's lymph nodes, part of the immune system.
These structures function as the lymph nodes of the eye, trapping unwanted dirt and detritus.
Victims become lethargic and may suffer severe swelling of the lymph nodes.
The researchers described the virus after identifying it in the swollen lymph nodes of infected patients.
She knew the situation was serious once her lymph nodes became swollen.
He quickly learned that for several weeks the patient had been suffering from high fevers and swollen lymph nodes.
All six of the excised lymph nodes were malignant, a bad sign.
The virus sticks tightly to these cells and is carried across the mucosal membrane to nearby lymph nodes.
Sometimes biopsies were taken from her lymph nodes or rectum.

British Dictionary definitions for lymph

lymph

/lɪmf/

noun

the almost colourless fluid, containing chiefly white blood cells, that is collected from the tissues of the body and transported in the lymphatic system

Word Origin

C17: from Latin lympha water, from earlier limpa influenced in form by Greek numphē nymph

Word Origin and History for lymph

1725 in physiology sense, "colorless fluid found in the body," from French lymphe, from Latin lympha "water, clear water, a goddess of water," variant of lumpæ "waters," altered by influence of Greek nymphe "goddess of a spring, nymph." The word was used earlier in English in the classical sense "pure water, water" (1620s), also (1670s) with reference to colorless fluids in plants. Also see lymphatic. Lymph node is attested from 1892.

lymph in Medicine

lymph (lĭmf)
n.
A clear, watery, sometimes faintly yellowish fluid derived from body tissues that contains white blood cells and circulates throughout the lymphatic system, returning to the venous bloodstream through the thoracic duct. Lymph acts to remove bacteria and certain proteins from the tissues, transport fat from the small intestine, and supply mature lymphocytes to the blood.

lymph- pref.
Variant of lympho-.

lymph in Science

lymph

(lĭmf)
The clear fluid flowing through the lymphatic system that serves to bathe and nourish the tissues of the body. It is composed of blood plasma that has leaked out through the capillaries into the tissues.

lymph in Culture

lymph [(limf)]

A clear, colorless fluid that circulates through the lymphatic system. Lymph fills the tissue spaces of the body.