lymph

IPA/lɪmf/
KK[lˈɪmf]IPA/lɪmf/

lymph — noun

1. A clear, pale liquid in the body that moves white blood cells around, helps clea

1.nounB2
Definition

A clear, pale liquid in the body that moves white blood cells around, helps clean the tissues, and carries away bacteria and other waste so that infections do not spread.

Example

Lymph slowly drained from the swelling around Sirin's right ankle.

lymph drains from [body part]

The doctor explained that lymph carries white blood cells to areas with infection.

lymph carries [cells] to [location]

Common collocations
  • lymph node
  • lymph vessel
  • lymph gland
  • drain lymph
  • carry lymph
Synonyms
  • lymphatic fluid

    the longer technical name, used in medical writing for the same liquid

Grammar Patterns

lymph drains from [body part]

lymph flows through [vessel/node]

Usage Note

Uncountable; never used with 'a' or in the plural. Frequently appears in compounds such as 'lymph node', 'lymph vessel', and 'lymph gland', where it names the system that moves the fluid rather than the fluid itself.

Common Mistakes

The doctor took a lymph from her arm.
The doctor took a sample of lymph from her arm.
'lymph' alone names a fluid that cannot be counted; use 'a sample of lymph' or refer to a 'lymph node' instead.

Word family

  • lymphatic
    adjectiveC1
  • lymphocyte
    nounC2
  • lymphoma
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three words all name pale body liquids that come out of blood or tissue, but they describe different things. 'Lymph' is the clear liquid that moves through lymph vessels and lymph nodes, carrying white blood cells and draining extra fluid from the tissues. 'Plasma' is the pale yellow liquid part of blood, the one that holds the cells and the proteins that help blood clot. 'Serum' is what is left of plasma after those clotting proteins are taken away. A doctor checks lymph when a patient's neck is swollen; a lab measures plasma in a fresh blood tube; researchers test serum after the blood has clotted.

lymph ↗plasma ↗serum ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • lymph node
  • lymph vessel
  • lymph gland
  • lymph flow
  • lymph drainage

Phrases

  • the flow of lymph
  • a sample of lymph

Prepositions

  • lymph from
  • lymph through
  • lymph in

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Borrowed in the 1700s from Latin 'lympha', meaning clear spring water. Roman writers used the word for pure water from a stream, and early anatomists chose it to describe the clear body fluid that drains through small vessels in the tissues.

First known use

1673

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 1