rheum
/ruːm
/noun [mass noun] chiefly literary
A watery fluid that collects in or drips from the nose or eyes.The mouth of the pig is open and she sees a row of small wet teeth as the head moves round towards her and there is something damp, like rheum, on both its cheeks....
- Using breath spray to hide the smell of booze and an eyedropper to clear the rheum, Galvin proceeds to a wake, where he waits in line to console the bereaved widow - then hands her his card.
- Again, with container in hand, Ellsbeth drank; there was a look of calm peace through the rheum that had settled like cobwebs across her pupils.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Old French reume, via Latin from Greek rheuma 'stream' (from rhein 'to flow').