gum

¹gum

noun \ˈgəm\

Definition of GUM

: the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws; broadly : the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues

Origin of GUM

Middle English gome, from Old English gōma palate; akin to Old High German guomo palate, and perhaps to Greek chaos abyss

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with GUM

bum, chum, come, crumb, cum, drum, dumb, from, glum, hum, lum, mum, numb, plum, plumb, rum, scrum, scum, slum, some, strum, sum, them, thrum, thumb

²gum

transitive verb

gummedgum·ming

Definition of GUM

1

: to enlarge gullets of (a saw)

2

: to chew with the gums

First Known Use of GUM

1777

³gum

noun

Definition of GUM

1

a : any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids — compare mucilage 1

b : any of various plant exudates (as an oleoresin or gum resin)

2

: a substance or deposit resembling a plant gum (as in sticky or adhesive quality)

3

a : a tree (as a black gum) that yields gum

b Australian : eucalyptus

4

: the wood or lumber of a gum; especially : that of the sweet gum

5

: chewing gum

Origin of GUM

Middle English gomme, from Middle French, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Greek kommi, from Egyptian qmyt

First Known Use: 14th century

⁴gum

verb

gummedgum·ming

Definition of GUM

transitive verb

: to clog, impede, or damage with or as if with gum <gum up the works>

intransitive verb

1

: to exude or form gum

2

: to become gummy

— gum·mer noun

First Known Use of GUM

1597