AskDefine | Define gum

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Dictionary Definition

gum

Noun

1 a preparation (usually made of sweetened chicle) for chewing [syn: chewing gum]
2 the tissue (covered by mucous membrane) of the jaws that surrounds the bases of the teeth [syn: gingiva]
3 any of various substances (soluble in water) that exude from certain plants; they are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying
4 cement consisting of a sticky substance that is used as an adhesive [syn: glue, mucilage]
5 wood or lumber from any of various gum trees especially the sweet gum [syn: gumwood]
6 any of various trees of the genera Eucalyptus or Liquidambar or Nyssa that are sources of gum [syn: gum tree]

Verb

1 grind with the gums; chew without teeth and with great difficulty; "the old man had no teeth left and mumbled his food" [syn: mumble]
2 exude or form gum; "these trees gum in the Spring" [also: gumming, gummed]

User Contributed Dictionary

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Old English goma, Old High German goumo, German Gaumen, Old Norse gomr ‘palate’.

Noun

  1. often in plural The flesh round the teeth.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
flesh around teeth

Verb

  1. To chew, especially of a toothless person or animal

Etymology 2

gomme, from gome, from Late Latin gumma, from gummi, from Greek κόμμι, of Egyptian origin

Noun

  1. any of various viscous or sticky substances that are exuded by certain plants
  2. any viscous or sticky substance resembling those that are exuded by certain plants
  3. chewing gum
  4. a single piece of chewing gum
    Do you have a gum I could have?
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
sticky substance exuded by certain plants
sticky substance resembling that exuded by certain plants
chewing gum See chewing gum
single piece of chewing gum
Translations to be checked

Verb

  1. To apply an adhesive or gum to
  2. With up, to impair the functioning of a thing or process.

Scots

Etymology 1

English gum

Noun

  1. gum

Etymology 2

Origin uncertain; perhaps a specialised use of Etymology 1, above.

Alternative spellings

Noun

  1. mist, vapour, haze

Extensive Definition

Gum or GUM may refer to:

A sticky or chewy substance (gum)

In confectionary: With this meaning, "Gum" occurs in numerous confectionary manufacturer names past (such as Gum, Inc.) and present.
In natural gums:
In names for species of tree or shrub (note than several of these names can each refer to several species):
Also referred to as "skeet"
As an adhesive:

Other uses as a common noun

  • Gums, or gingiva, the soft tissue partly covering teeth

People with the surname Gum

surname Gum

Other uses in proper names

In astronomy: both named in honour of Colin Stanley Gum.
In geography:
In fiction:
  • Mr. Gum refers to the central character in a series of novels for children written by Andy Stanton.

As an abbreviation (GUM)

As an acronym (common noun phrase, notably in science and technology): As an acronym (proper noun phrase): and many more, not important enough to list here
As a code:

See also

References

gum in French: Gomme
gum in Dutch: Gum
gum in Simple English: Gum

Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words

Lastex, acaroid resins, agglutinate, alveolar ridge, amber, baleen, battledore, bind, bite, bollix, braze, bridgework, bubble gum, cement, champ, chaw, chew, chew the cud, chew up, chewing gum, chicle, chicle gum, chomp, colophony, coumarone resins, crab, cramp, crimp, dental bridge, dentition, denture, elastic, elastomer, false teeth, fossil resins, foul up, fuse, glue, gnash, gnaw, grind, gum elastic, gum rosin, gum up, gums, handball, ivories, jumping jack, lac resins, louse up, masticate, mouth, mumble, munch, nibble, paste, periodontal tissue, pine resins, plastic, plate, queer, racket, resin, resina, resinate, resinoid, rosin, rubber, rubber ball, rubber band, ruminate, set of teeth, snafu, solder, spandex, spring, springboard, stick together, stretch fabric, synthetic resin, teeth, trampoline, uppers and lowers, vegetable resins, weld, whalebone
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