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gummed

[guhmd]
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adjective
  1. covered with a gummy substance.
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Origin of gummed

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at gum1, -ed2
Related formsun·gummed, adjective

gum1

[guhm]
noun
  1. any of various viscid, amorphous exudations from plants, hardening on exposure to air and soluble in or forming a viscid mass with water.
  2. any of various similar exudations, as resin.
  3. a preparation of such a substance, as for use in the arts or bookbinding.
  4. chewing gum.
  5. mucilage; glue.
  6. rubber1(def 1).
  7. gum tree.
  8. Philately. the adhesive by which a postage stamp is affixed.Compare o.g.(def 1).
  9. Informal. a rubber overshoe or boot.
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verb (used with object), gummed, gum·ming.
  1. to smear, stiffen, or stick together with gum.
  2. to clog with or as if with some gummy substance.
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verb (used without object), gummed, gum·ming.
  1. to exude or form gum.
  2. to become gummy.
  3. to become clogged with a gummy substance.
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Verb Phrases
  1. gum up, Slang. to spoil or ruin.
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Idioms
  1. gum up the works. work(def 51).
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Origin of gum1

1350–1400; Middle English gomme < Old French < Vulgar Latin *gumma, for Latin gummi, cummi < Greek kómmi
Related formsgum·less, adjectivegum·like, adjective

gum2

[guhm]
noun
  1. Often gums. Also called gingiva. the firm, fleshy tissue covering the alveolar parts of either jaw and enveloping the necks of the teeth.
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verb (used with object), gummed, gum·ming.
  1. to masticate (food) with the gums instead of teeth.
  2. to shape or renew the teeth of (a saw), as by grinding.
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Idioms
  1. beat one's gums, Slang. to talk excessively or ineffectively.
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Origin of gum2

1275–1325; Middle English gome, Old English gōma palate; akin to Old Norse gōmr, German Gaumen palate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

gummy, sticky, daub, glue, paste, smudge, plug, shut, secure, isolate, stop, enclose, close, bind, fix, connect, seal, bite, gnaw, nibble

Examples from the Web for gummed

Historical Examples

  • This was the finger that had been gummed to bits by the Mekstrom infant back in Homestead.

    Highways in Hiding

    George Oliver Smith

  • Before starting, every broken seam and hole must be gummed over.

    All Afloat

    William Wood

  • When I got that portmanteau back they were all there, gummed in, just as I had left them.

  • After twenty or so are fixed, the first one gummed down can be finished off.

    Practical Taxidermy

    Montagu Browne

  • Pen and ink, cards, gummed labels or tags are put under your nose.

    Riviera Towns

    Herbert Adams Gibbons

British Dictionary definitions for gummed

GUM

abbreviation for
  1. genitourinary medicine
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gum1

noun
  1. any of various sticky substances that exude from certain plants, hardening on exposure to air and dissolving or forming viscous masses in water
  2. any of various products, such as adhesives, that are made from such exudates
  3. any sticky substance used as an adhesive; mucilage; glue
  4. NZ short for kauri gum
  5. See chewing gum, bubble gum, gumtree
  6. mainly British a gumdrop
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verb gums, gumming or gummed
  1. to cover or become covered, clogged, or stiffened with or as if with gum
  2. (tr) to stick together or in place with gum
  3. (intr) to emit or form gum
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See also gum up
Derived Formsgumless, adjectivegumlike, adjective

Word Origin

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

gum2

noun
  1. the fleshy tissue that covers the jawbones around the bases of the teethTechnical name: gingiva Related adjective: gingival
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Word Origin

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

gum3

noun
  1. used in the mild oath by gum!
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Word Origin

C19: euphemism for God
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 gummed

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.

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gum

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).

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gum

v.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gummed in Science

gum1

[gŭm]
  1. 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.
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gum2

[gŭm]
  1. See gingiva.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.