gum arabic

noun

Definition of gum arabic

: a water-soluble gum obtained from several acacias (especially Acacia senegal) and used especially in the manufacture of inks, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and confections

Examples of gum arabic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The country is also the world’s biggest exporter of gum arabic, a sap that’s extracted from acacia trees and used in sodas and pharmaceuticals. — Mohammed Alamin And Mike Cohen | Bloomberg, Washington Post, "Why Protests Are Raging Against Sudan’s Leader," 6 Mar. 2019 And like the soft center of its confectionary cousin the gumdrop (also part of the class of candies called jellies), it is made of sugar, flavors, water and some form of thickener, such as gelatin, gum Arabic, or starch. — D. Lawrence Tarazano, Smithsonian, "The Patents and Trademarks Behind Jelly Beans," 13 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gum arabic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about gum arabic

Dictionary Entries near gum arabic

Statistics for gum arabic

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for gum arabic

The first known use of gum arabic was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for gum arabic

gum arabic

noun

gum ar·a·bic | \ -ˈar-ə-bik

Medical Definition of gum arabic

: a water-soluble gum obtained from several leguminous plants of the genus Acacia (especially A. senegal and A. arabica) and used especially in pharmacy to suspend insoluble substances in water, to prepare emulsions, and to make pills and lozenges

— called also acacia, gum acacia