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Glite Dictionary
salivary duct

salivary duct

4.7
A small tube in the mouth that carries saliva from a gland
  • noun
  • /səˈlaɪvəri dʌkt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : conducto salival
  • The surgeon carefully examined the salivary duct to ensure there were no blockages.

Examples

  • When the patient complained of dryness in the mouth, the doctor checked the salivary duct for any issues.

  • According to Batsakis et al., acinic cell carcinomas are derived from the intercalated ducts of the salivary duct and tubular system.

    Academic text (2005)

  • In his studies, he focused on the structure of the salivary duct and its role in digestion.

Surface Forms

salivary duct singular
salivary ducts plural

Morphology

salivary + duct

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'salivary' (connected to saliva) plus 'duct' (a channel), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is a channel that carries saliva from a gland. This is a compositional medical compound following regular English noun-noun formation and has clear parallels in other languages, making it predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

Salivary duct gives a clear picture: saliva is the liquid in your mouth and a duct is a small tube, so the name points to the tube that carries saliva from a gland into the mouth. That's why salivary duct means 'a duct in the mouth through which saliva flows'.