gum

• enPR: gŭm, IPA^(key): /ɡʌm/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ʌm

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.

gum (plural gums)

1. (often in the plural) The flesh around the teeth.

• gingiva (medical)

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.

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”).

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, dialectal, Southern US) A hive made of a section of a hollow gum tree; hence, any roughly made hive.
7. (US, dialectal, Southern US) A vessel or bin made from a hollow log.
8. (US, dialectal) A rubber overshoe.
9. A gum tree.

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.

• gum up
• by gum

• MGU, mug

• IPA^(key): /ɡum/
• Rhymes: -um

gum

1. genitive plural of guma

• IPA^(key): /kʏːm/
• Rhymes: -ʏːm

gum n (genitive singular gums, no plural)

1. boasting, exaggeration

   Synonyms: gort, raup

• guma (“to boast, to exaggerate”)

gum

1. Alternative form of gumme

• IPA^(key): /ɡum/

gum f pl

1. genitive plural of guma

From English gum.

gum (plural gums)

1. gum

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

• gumm

gum (plural gums)

1. mist, vapour, haze

• gu
• gun

gum

1. that

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

• Used before b, f, m and p.

gum (definite accusative ?, plural ?)

1. sand

gum ?

1. (anatomy) cheek