saliva

Pronunciation: să-lī′vă

Definition: A clear, tasteless, odorless, slightly acidic (pH 6.8) viscid fluid, consisting of the secretion from the parotid, sublingual, and submandibular salivary glands and the mucous glands of the oral cavity; its function is to keep the mucous membrane of the mouth moist, to lubricate food during mastication, and, in a measure, to convert starch into maltose, the latter action being effected by a diastatic enzyme, ptyalin.

Synonym(s): spittle

[L. akin to G. sialon]

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