v.
Pronunciation: -t ə - ˌ r ā t
Function: verb
Inflected Form: -rat · ed ; -rat · ing
Etymology: Latin expectoratus, past participle of expectorare to banish from the mind (taken to mean literally “ to expel from the chest ” ), from ex- + pector-, pectus breast, soul ― more at PECTORAL
Date: 1601
transitive verb
1 : to eject from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting
2 : SPIT
intransitive verb
1 : to discharge matter from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting
2 : SPIT
– ex · pec · to · ra · tion \ - ˌ spek-t ə - ' r ā -sh ə n \ noun