also: かたづ
noun
saliva held in the mouth from tension
Almost exclusively used in the set phrase 固唾を飲む (to hold one's breath, to watch with bated breath). The word itself is rarely used outside this expression.
See also: 固唾を飲む
観客は固唾を飲んで試合の行方を見守った。
The audience watched the game with bated breath.
彼の発表の間、会場は固唾を飲むような
During his presentation, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The idiomatic phrase in which 固唾 is used; means 'to hold one's breath in suspense'.
Compound of 固 (hard, stiff) and 唾 (saliva). The image is of saliva that becomes thick or hard to swallow due to nervous tension.