Definition of Saliva

Saliva: a watery secretion in the mouth produced by the salivary glands that aids in the digestion of food. Saliva also serves to moisten and cleanse the mouth, including the tongue and teeth, and contains substances that can play a role in the prevention of infection. Saliva aids digestion by moistening food and contains enzymes that begin the digestion process. Also known as spit.

Last Editorial Review: 9/10/2008

Printer-Friendly Format

Email to a Friend

Back to MedTerms online medical dictionary A-Z List

Depression: Learn about the Symptoms

Women's Health

Find out what women really need.

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain

From WebMD

Healthy Resources

Featured Centers

Health Solutions From Our Sponsors

MedicineNet Authored

Webster's New World
Medical Dictionary
Learn more »

MedTerms Medical Word
of the Day

Health categories:	Slideshows \| Diseases & Conditions \| Symptoms & Signs \| Procedures & Tests \| Medications \| Health & Living \| News & Views \| Medical Dictionary
Popular health centers:	Allergies \| Arthritis \| Cancer \| Diabetes \| Digestion \| Healthy Kids \| Heart \| Men's Health \| Mental Health \| Women's Health \| More...
Publications:	ePublications (PDFs) \| XML News via RSS \| Audio Podcasts \| Email Newsletters
MedicineNet.com:	About Us \| Privacy Policy \| Site Map \| WebMD® \| Medscape® \| eMedicine® \| eMedicineHealth® \| RxList®

This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.