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gummy

[guhm-ee]
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adjective, gum·mi·er, gum·mi·est.
  1. of, resembling, or of the consistency of gum; viscid; mucilaginous.
  2. covered with or clogged by gum or sticky matter.
  3. exuding gum.

Origin of gummy

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at gum1, -y1
Related formsgum·mi·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for gummy

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The juice yielded was thick and gummy, and of a sweetish taste.

  • He was full of happiness, gummy with it, like a plum ripe for pluckingor falling.

    Old Mole

    Gilbert Cannan

  • But always there was the gummy mud, smelling of what I knew was below, to lead me on.

  • You run down to this number and get a good, gummy, pathetic yarn.

    Local Color

    Irvin S. Cobb

  • In the gummy soils of the Dakotas, a long slant cut is the best.

    The Conquest

    Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for gummy

gummy1

adjective -mier or -miest
  1. sticky or tacky
  2. consisting of, coated with, or clogged by gum or a similar substance
  3. producing gum
Derived Formsgumminess, noun

Word Origin

C14: from gum 1 + -y 1

gummy2

adjective -mier or -miest
  1. toothless; not showing one's teeth
noun plural -mies
  1. Australian a small crustacean-eating shark, Mustelus antarcticus, with bony ridges resembling gums in its mouth
  2. NZ an old ewe that has lost its incisor teeth
Derived Formsgummily, adverb

Word Origin

C20: from gum ² + -y 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for gummy

late 14c., from gum (n.1) + -y (2). Related: Gumminess.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper