chicle

American  

[chik-uhl] / ˈtʃɪk əl /

noun

1. a gumlike substance obtained from the latex of certain tropical American trees, as the sapodilla, used chiefly in the manufacture of chewing gum.

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chicle British  

/ ˈtʃɪkəl /

noun

1. Also called: chicle gum.  a gumlike substance obtained from the sapodilla; the main ingredient of chewing gum

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Etymology

Origin of chicle

1860–65, < Mexican Spanish < Nahuatl tzictli

Example Sentences

Simply – which makes gum from a type of tree sap called chicle instead of synthetic ingredients – has seen its sales double every year since 2021 without raising prices, Proschan said.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 7, 2024

Driving west from El Hormiguero toward the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, the road wends through ceibas, strangler figs, and sapodillas, a tree prized since Maya times for its chicle gum.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 11, 2023

Eventually, Don Pancho started leading hunts for wealthy foreigners through the Safari Club International, he said, mostly Americans working for the chewing gum companies that would come to Calakmul to harvest chicle from the jungle.

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2022

It was the Mexican general Santa Anna who brought chicle to American cities in the 19th century.

From The Guardian • Aug. 14, 2017

Paul Jones, a big, hard, top-drawer chicle technologist, set up the Four line to pour demolition blocks.

From Triplanetary by Smith, E. E. (Edward Elmer)