To cough up and spit out mucus, phlegm, or other material from the throat or lungs.
From Latin ex- (out) + pectoralis (of the chest). First used in medical contexts in the 1600s, expectorate literally means 'from the chest.' It replaced older terms and became the standard medical term.
The word 'expectorate' is intentionally formal and medical—doctors use it instead of the blunter 'spit' to describe what happens when you have a productive cough. Language creates euphemisms for bodily functions across all cultures.
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