gum

See also: Gum and GUM

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: gŭm, IPA(key): ɡʌm
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌm

Etymology 1

From Middle English gome, from Old English gōma (“palate”), from Proto-Germanic *gōmô, *gaumô (“palate”) (compare German Gaumen, Old Norse gómr (whence Icelandic gómur)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂u-mo- (compare Tocharian A ko, Tocharian B koyṃ (“mouth”), Lithuanian gomurỹs (“palate”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂w- (“to gape, yawn”). More at yawn.

Noun

gum (plural gums)

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

Verb

gum (third-person singular simple present gums, present participle gumming, simple past and past participle gummed)

  1. To chew, especially of a toothless person or animal.
  2. (transitive) To deepen and enlarge the spaces between the teeth of (a worn saw), as with a gummer.

Etymology 2

From Middle English gomme, gumme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman gome, from Late Latin gumma, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Ancient Greek κόμμι (kómmi), from Egyptian qmy (“anointing oil”), qmyt (“acanthus resin, gum”).

Noun

gum (countable and uncountable, plural gums)

  1. (chiefly uncountable) Any of various viscous or sticky substances that are exuded by certain plants.
  2. (chiefly uncountable) Any viscous or sticky substance resembling those that are exuded by certain plants.
  3. (chiefly uncountable) Chewing gum.
  4. (countable) A single piece of chewing gum.
    Do you have a gum to spare?
  5. (South Africa, often in the plural) A gummi candy.
  6. (US, dialect, Southern US) A hive made of a section of a hollow gum tree; hence, any roughly made hive.
  7. (US, dialect, Southern US) A vessel or bin made from a hollow log.
  8. (US, dialect) A rubber overshoe.
  9. A gum tree.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Verb

gum (third-person singular simple present gums, present participle gumming, simple past and past participle gummed)

  1. (sometimes with up) To apply an adhesive or gum to; to make sticky by applying a sticky substance to.
    • 2012, Julie Hedgepeth Williams, A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwells' Story of Survival →ISBN, page 184:
      However, Albert said in his audiotape and in his speech that a lever designed to release the lifeboat's block and tackle was gummed up with red paint.
  2. To stiffen with glue or gum.
    • Shakespeare
      He frets like a gummed velvet.
  3. (colloquial, with up) To impair the functioning of a thing or process.
    That cheap oil will gum up the engine valves.
    The new editor can gum up your article with too many commas.

Derived terms

Anagrams

Czech

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡum/
  • Rhymes: -um

Noun

gum

  1. genitive plural of guma

Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kʏːm/
  • Rhymes: -ʏːm

Noun

gum n (genitive singular gums, no plural)

  1. boasting, exaggeration
    Synonyms: gort, raup

Declension

Derived terms

  • guma (“to boast, to exaggerate”)

Polish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡum/

Noun

gum f pl

  1. genitive plural of guma

Scots

Etymology 1

From English gum.

Noun

gum (plural gums)

  1. gum

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

  • gumm

Noun

gum (plural gums)

  1. mist, vapour, haze

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

Conjunction

gum

  1. that
    Tha mi cinnteach gum biodh e toilichte. - I'm certain that he would be happy.

Usage notes

  • Used before b, f, m and p.

Turkmen

Noun

gum (definite accusative ?, plural ?)

  1. sand

Zazaki

Noun

gum ?

  1. (anatomy) cheek
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