sweet gum
Americannoun
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a tall, aromatic tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, of the eastern U.S., having star-shaped leaves and fruits in rounded, burlike clusters.
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the hard reddish-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture.
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the amber balsam exuded by this tree, used in the manufacture of perfumes and medicines.
noun
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a North American liquidambar tree, Liquidambar styraciflua, having prickly spherical fruit clusters and fragrant sap: the wood (called satin walnut ) is used to make furniture Compare sour gum
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the sap of this tree
Etymology
Origin of sweet gum
An Americanism dating back to 1690–1700
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Behind the bar, they swagged a second garland made from teasel and sweet gum and poppy seed pods.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022
They drove along Huff Creek Road, an isolated path lined thick with pine and sweet gum trees, for three miles as Mr. Byrd was helplessly flung side to side.
From New York Times ● Jul. 9, 2018
Below him a four-inch white pipe ran from his house, across the yard just a few feet away from a basketball hoop, and into a copse of pine and sweet gum trees.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 5, 2017
“I’ve made them out of cedar, bodock, sweet gum, hickory, sassafras,” he said.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 18, 2016
Soon it wasn’t possible for him to walk longer than five minutes at a time without pausing to lean against a sweet gum tree.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
