# Scientific name for boogers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 22, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954 "2013-12-22T15:10:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/1 "2013-12-22T15:10:50Z")
A “booger” is a dried piece of nasal mucus (snot), as opposed to the more slimy liquidy snot. But is there an actual scientific/medical term for boogers? ---
**Author:** ![oz0ne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc348/32.png) [@oz0ne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oz0ne)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/2 "2013-12-22T15:20:31Z")
Dried nasal mucous? ---
**Author:** ![oz0ne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc348/32.png) [@oz0ne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oz0ne)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/3 "2013-12-22T15:29:29Z")
Sorry for the double post, but Tapatalk sucks ass. I wanted to add that dried nasal mucous is all I’ve ever heard it called. Even my doc calls 'em boogers. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/4 "2013-12-22T15:33:52Z")
Yep, “dried nasal mucus” is it, as far as I know. [Mucus - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dried_nasal_mucus) ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/5 "2013-12-22T15:34:09Z")
Lunch ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/6 "2013-12-22T15:46:11Z")
snot rock ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/7 "2013-12-22T17:03:25Z")
Nasolith. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/8 "2013-12-22T17:05:57Z")
> [@oz0ne](#): > > Dried nasal mucous? Band name! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/9 "2013-12-22T18:23:41Z")
"I almost forgot, fellow babies: _ **BOOGER!"** _ ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/10 "2013-12-22T21:08:43Z")
The surgeon who did my sinus surgery solemnly informed me that the scientific term for them was “boogers”. He had a slight smile as he said this though. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/11 "2013-12-22T21:29:16Z")
A more Latin-derived name is necessary for further scientific and medical inquiry. How have we gone without for so long? ---
**Author:** ![oz0ne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc348/32.png) [@oz0ne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oz0ne)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/12 "2013-12-22T22:27:15Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > A more Latin-derived name is necessary for further scientific and medical inquiry. How have we gone without for so long? Yes, this. I was going to suggest rhino calculus, but I see that is actually something else. For reals! ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/13 "2013-12-22T22:28:28Z")
nose candy ---
**Author:** ![oz0ne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc348/32.png) [@oz0ne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oz0ne)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/14 "2013-12-22T22:42:08Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > nose candy Think she might be on to something. Piggybacking off of this, boogers resemble the Nerds candy. What about nose nerds? Well, unless it’s a gooey one, then it’s more like a chewy nerds. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/15 "2013-12-22T23:53:52Z")
Mucus is a noun; mucous is an adjective. So the stuff that comes out of your nose is mucus but the lining of your nose is a mucous membrane. A similar pair is phosphorus/phosphorous. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/16 "2013-12-22T23:59:04Z")
Nose Gems Nostril Nuggets 'lil cherub chewables ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/17 "2013-12-23T03:01:22Z")
Finger food. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/18 "2013-12-23T04:30:49Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > nose candy > [@oz0ne](#): > > Think she might be on to something. Piggybacking off of this, boogers resemble the Nerds candy. What about nose nerds? Well, unless it’s a gooey one, then it’s more like a chewy nerds. There is a [Boogers candy](http://iwantpizza.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/img_0044.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![oz0ne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9fc348/32.png) [@oz0ne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oz0ne)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/19 "2013-12-23T05:23:12Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > There is a [Boogers candy](http://iwantpizza.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/img_0044.jpg). And I’m done. Hey hibernicus, quit being hoity toity. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2013, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/20 "2013-12-23T10:15:52Z")
Jelly Belly also makes booger flavored jelly beans. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954.md?page=2)