Definition

The act of coughing up blood or blood-stained mucus from the respiratory system.

Example

The patient was diagnosed with hemoptysis after coughing up blood during the examination.

Conversation

I heard my neighbor had to go to the hospital because of hemoptysis.

That's really serious! What happened exactly?

They said it was caused by a severe infection in their lungs.

I hope they get better soon; that sounds really scary.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Hemoptysis is formed from "hemo-" (from Greek "haima", meaning blood) and "ptysis" (from Greek "ptusis", meaning to spit or cough). The word describes the act of coughing up blood.

Memory Tip

Think of 'blood' ('hemo-') being 'coughed up' ('ptysis') — that's what hemoptysis means.

Visually Confused Words