gum

[guhm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various viscid, amorphous exudations from plants, hardening on exposure to air and soluble in or forming a viscid mass with water.

any of various similar exudations, as resin.

a preparation of such a substance, as for use in the arts or bookbinding.

chewing gum.

mucilage; glue.

rubber¹(def 1).

gum tree.

Philately. the adhesive by which a postage stamp is affixed.Compare o.g.(def 1).

Informal. a rubber overshoe or boot.

verb (used with object), gummed, gum·ming.

to smear, stiffen, or stick together with gum.

to clog with or as if with some gummy substance.

verb (used without object), gummed, gum·ming.

to exude or form gum.

to become gummy.

to become clogged with a gummy substance.

Verb Phrases

gum up, Slang. to spoil or ruin.

Idioms

gum up the works. work(def 51).

Origin of gum

1350–1400; Middle English gomme < Old French < Vulgar Latin *gumma, for Latin gummi, cummi < Greek kómmi

Related formsgum·less, adjectivegum·like, adjective

gum

[guhm]

noun

Often gums. Also called gingiva. the firm, fleshy tissue covering the alveolar parts of either jaw and enveloping the necks of the teeth.

verb (used with object), gummed, gum·ming.

to masticate (food) with the gums instead of teeth.

to shape or renew the teeth of (a saw), as by grinding.

Origin of gum

1275–1325; Middle English gome, Old English gōma palate; akin to Old Norse gōmr, German Gaumen palate

gum

[guhm]

Idioms

by gum, (used as a mild oath).

Origin of gum

First recorded in 1825–35; euphemism for God

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gum

paste, wax, amber, adhesive, plaster, cement, pitch, glue, mucilage, tar, rosin, exudate, resin

Examples from the Web for gum

Contemporary Examples of gum

Tessie rose, unrolled her scented handkerchief, and taking a bit of gum from a knot in the hem, placed it in her mouth.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show
Robert W. Chambers
February 20, 2014
Republicans throw up procedural obstacles just to gum up the works and run out the clock.
John McCain to the Rescue as Senate Deal Breaks Nominee Logjam
Eleanor Clift
July 17, 2013
Having localized the jaw pain, it quickly becomes unbearable, and I spit the gum out to give my tired face a rest.
After War: Anger, Panic, and Sometimes Peace
Benjamin Tupper
June 26, 2013
I gather up my laptop and toss the mess of gum wrappers and chewed spearmint globs into the trash can.
After War: Anger, Panic, and Sometimes Peace
Benjamin Tupper
June 26, 2013
Walmart uses a lot more labor per sale than Costco does because it sells more than one kind of gum, and not always by the 24-pack.
Why Can’t Walmart Be More Like Costco?
Megan McArdle
November 26, 2012

Historical Examples of gum

With pitch, gum, or grease, they covered up the cracks or seams.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
Here is a piece of gum benzoin, the substance from which Friar's balsam is made.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 417
Various
Dissolve the gum and honey in it, and strain it through muslin.
The Skilful Cook
Mary Harrison
Then, so an English writer tells us, a use was found for the gum—and a name.
The Age of Invention
Holland Thompson
For marbling books or paper, dissolve four ounces of gum arabac in two quarts of water, and pour it into a broad vessel.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for gum

gum

noun

any of various sticky substances that exude from certain plants, hardening on exposure to air and dissolving or forming viscous masses in water

any of various products, such as adhesives, that are made from such exudates

any sticky substance used as an adhesive; mucilage; glue

NZ short for kauri gum

See chewing gum, bubble gum, gumtree

mainly British a gumdrop

verb gums, gumming or gummed

to cover or become covered, clogged, or stiffened with or as if with gum

(tr) to stick together or in place with gum

(intr) to emit or form gum

Word Origin for gum

C14: from Old French gomme, from Latin gummi, from Greek kommi, from Egyptian kemai

gum

noun

the fleshy tissue that covers the jawbones around the bases of the teethTechnical name: gingiva Related adjective: gingival

Word Origin for gum

Old English gōma jaw; related to Old Norse gōmr, Middle High German gūme, Lithuanian gomurīs

gum

noun

used in the mild oath by gum!

Word Origin for gum

C19: euphemism for God

GUM

abbreviation for

genitourinary medicine

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 gum

n.1

"resin," c.1300, from Old French gome "(medicinal) gum, resin," from Late Latin gumma, from Latin gummi, from Greek kommi "gum," from Egyptian kemai. As a shortened form of chewing gum, first attested 1842 in American English. The gum tree (1670s) was so called for the resin it exudes.

n.2

"membranes of the mouth," Old English goma "palate, side of the mouth" (single or plural), from a Germanic source represented by Old Norse gomi "palate," Old High German goumo; related to Lithuanian gomurys "palate," and perhaps from PIE *gheu- "to yawn" (cf. Greek khaos; see chaos).

early 14c., gommen, "treat with (medicinal or aromatic) gums," from gum (n.1). In the transferred or figurative sense of "spoil, ruin" (usually with up), it is first recorded 1901, probably from the notion of machinery becoming clogged. Of infants, etc., "to chew or gnaw (something) with the gums," by 1907, from gum (n.2). Related: Gummed; gumming.

gum in Science

gum

[gŭm]

Any of various sticky substances that are produced by certain plants and trees and dry into brittle solids soluble in water. Gums typically are colloidal mixtures of polysaccharides and mineral salts.

gum

[gŭm]

See gingiva.