# Is there a medical name for boogers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2000, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499 "2000-11-09T18:10:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/1 "2000-11-09T18:10:02Z")
Medical science seems to have term for every minute part, condition, or activity of the human body EXCEPT for boogers. Surely “snot” is not an official medical term. How is a booger referred to in a polite, professional way? For that matter, what is the etymology of “booger”? I once heard the term “muchoid” suggested for a solidified snot but am unable to find it in any dictionary, medical or otherwise, although a Google search turns up exactly one reference for the word, in a short story about the erotic aspects of vomit and puking at [http://internetdump.com/users/slaveboy/natalie.htm](http://internetdump.com/users/slaveboy/natalie.htm) \*\* “I’m gonna throooowwwwwWWWUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHH!!!” she’d yelled as she dashed toward the lee. She made it just far enough to splatter a thick, yellow column of breakfast all over the wooden rail. She remembered how the slimy, muchoid strings of it had dripped down from the mahogeny. Her viscera stirred, warning her against following the train of thought any farther. She swallowed, trying to get hold of herself. She still had her bucket, if it came to that."\*\* Well, the context sounds right, but does this qualify as an official definition? ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/2 "2000-11-09T18:20:01Z")
A Mailbag question addressed this- his answer was “nasal secretions”. The implication was that there is no standard term. Here’s the article: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbooger.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbooger.html) Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/3 "2000-11-09T18:21:49Z")
The issue has been discussed before, with no definitive conclusion. I think the closes I’ve seen is “dried mucus”. Here’s a sample thread: [Speaking of snot…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=10640) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/4 "2000-11-09T18:25:06Z")
I would be very grateful if you could all pretend you didn’t see my last post and instead imagined that I had written “what Arjuna34 said.” ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@MonkeyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/5 "2000-11-09T18:25:38Z")
Since Arjuna beat me to the Cecil reference, I’ll give the etimology according to Merriam-Webster online: Main Entry: boog·er Pronunciation: 'bu-g&r, 'bü- Function: noun Etymology: alteration of English dialect buggard, boggart, from 1bug + -ard Date: 1866 1 : BOGEYMAN 2 : a piece of dried nasal mucus Notice how they don’t give a scientific term. I think “dried nasal mucus” comes closer to my understanding of “booger” than “nasal secretion.” “Secretion” makes me think it’s still a liquid and therefore best termed “snot.” I don’t get to use the words very often in everyday speach, so I will repeat myself. Booger. Snot. Booger. Snot. Oh yeah ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/6 "2000-11-09T18:36:31Z")
nasal discharge ---
**Author:** ![RedDawgEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedDawgEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedDawgEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/7 "2000-11-09T18:58:38Z")
Looks like my first guess was on track, I simply misspelled it. There are plenty of references for “mucoid” (minus the “h”), among them [http://www.bartleby.com/61/26/M0462600.html](http://www.bartleby.com/61/26/M0462600.html) At least now you have another pseudo-intellectual sounding insult at your disposal: “Why, you gelatinous mucoid!” ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@MonkeyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/8 "2000-11-09T19:05:27Z")
M-W defintion for mucoid (the first def. was an adjective) simply says “mucoprotein.” mu·co·pro·tein Pronunciation: "myü-k&-'prO-"tEn also -'prO-tE-&n Function: noun Date: 1925 : any of various complex conjugated proteins (as mucins) that contain polysaccharides and occur in body fluids and tissues If anyone could please dumb this down for me I would be grateful. ---
**Author:** ![kinoons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a698b9/32.png) [@kinoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kinoons)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/9 "2000-11-09T19:15:20Z")
The consensus around my paramedic class seems to be mucous plugs ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/10 "2000-11-09T19:16:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \* > \*\*I would be very grateful if you could all pretend you didn’t see my last post and instead imagined that I had written “what Arjuna34 said.” \*\* No problem- we all know how slack you are at posting links to columns 😉 Arjuna34 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2000, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/11 "2000-11-09T20:04:05Z")
nasal concretions I am an RN and actually received an order that read as follows. “Irrigate nares with normal saline and remove nasal concretions” This was for a Little old lady who had a nose full of hard boogers. and Yep I did it, ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/12 "2000-11-11T19:13:02Z")
I’ve seen doctors who mention “nasal congestion”, “mucus plugs” and “concretions”. I think the term “rhinolith” may be the most succinct, though I’ve not really seen it too often. “Nasal calculus” would make sense but seems hard to take seriously. Other good words: eructation… belching tumescence… getting a stiffy emesis… vomiting coprolalia… the potty mouth rarely seen in Tourette’s ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/13 "2000-11-11T19:41:09Z")
How about rhinoplaster? ---
**Author:** ![PublicBlast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@PublicBlast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PublicBlast)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2000, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/14 "2000-11-11T20:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JamesCarroll \* > \*\*How about rhinoplaster? \*\* Okay, everybody, on 3… 1…2…3… WHOOOOOOAUUUUUUUUGHHHHHH… 😛 Nice pun, JamesCaroll. Akash ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2000, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-medical-name-for-boogers/40499/15 "2000-11-12T00:39:03Z")
Oh, **Mermaid** , just when I was starting to think nurses were overpaid. (You’re all angels.) Am I gonna lose the ability to pick my own nose?