# Scientific name for boogers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954>\
**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:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/21 "2013-12-24T06:01:47Z")

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Dried mucus is “inspissated mucus” in medicalese.  
Not necessarily a booger, though.

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**Author:** ![sudont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@sudont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sudont)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/22 "2016-02-09T17:46:29Z")

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There may not be a latinate name for boogers, but I bet there’s one for booger-eating in the psych world. Find that, and you may have a lead.

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**Author:** ![sudont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@sudont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sudont)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/23 "2016-02-09T17:51:55Z")

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> [@oz0ne](#):
>
> Yes, this. I was going to suggest rhino calculus, but I see that is actually something else. For reals!

Think you almost have it. From the OED:

ˈrhinolith, a nasal calculus; hence rhinoˈlithic

see: Rhino-

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**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/24 "2016-02-09T18:12:17Z")

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> [@sudont](#):
>
> There may not be a latinate name for boogers, but I bet there’s one for booger-eating in the psych world. Find that, and you may have a lead.

Boogerphagia.

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**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientific-name-for-boogers/676954/25 "2016-02-10T01:59:02Z")

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In Japanese, boogers are “hanakuso” 鼻糞 (nose-shit). Interestingly, rheum is sometimes referred to as “mekuso” 目糞 (eye-shit) and ear wax is “mimikuso” 耳糞 (ear-shit). So simple. 😃

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