Ads
Treat and Protect Gums www.colgate.com/colgatetotal Colgate Total Helps Treat & Protect Tender Gums & Gum Inflammation.
GUM® Dental Products www.gumbrand.com/ Purchase Your Oral Care Products Straight From The Company Website!
noun
1.
any of various viscid, amorphous exudations from plants, hardening on exposure to air and soluble in or forming a viscid mass with water.
2.
any of various similar exudations, as resin.
3.
a preparation of such a substance, as for use in the arts or bookbinding.
4.
5.
mucilage; glue.
verb (used with object)
10.
to smear, stiffen, or stick together with gum.
11.
to clog with or as if with some gummy substance.
00:10
Gum
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 12.
to exude or form gum.
13.
to become gummy.
14.
to become clogged with a gummy substance.
15.
Idioms gum up, Slang. to spoil or ruin.
16.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English gomme < Old French < Vulgar Latin *gumma, for Latin gummi, cummi < Greek kómmi
1350–1400; Middle English gomme < Old French < Vulgar Latin *gumma, for Latin gummi, cummi < Greek kómmi
Related forms
gum·less, adjective
gum·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
Often, gums. Also called gingiva. the firm, fleshy tissue covering the alveolar parts of either jaw and enveloping the necks of the teeth.
verb (used with object)
Idioms 2.
to masticate (food) with the gums instead of teeth.
3.
to shape or renew the teeth of (a saw), as by grinding.
4.
beat one's gums, Slang. to talk excessively or ineffectively.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English gome, Old English gōma palate; akin to Old Norse gōmr, German Gaumen palate
1275–1325; Middle English gome, Old English gōma palate; akin to Old Norse gōmr, German Gaumen palate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To Gum
Collins
World English Dictionary
gum1 (ɡʌm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any of various sticky substances that exude from certain plants, hardening on exposure to air and dissolving or forming viscous masses in water |
| 2. | any of various products, such as adhesives, that are made from such exudates |
| 3. | any sticky substance used as an adhesive; mucilage; glue |
| 4. | (NZ) short for kauri gum |
| 5. | chewing gum bubble gum See gumtree |
| 6. | chiefly (Brit) a gumdrop |
| —vb , gums, gumming, gummed | |
| 7. | to cover or become covered, clogged, or stiffened with or as if with gum |
| 8. | (tr) to stick together or in place with gum |
| 9. | (intr) to emit or form gum |
| [C14: from Old French gomme, from Latin gummi, from Greek kommi, from Egyptian kemai] | |
| 'gumless1 | |
| —adj | |
| 'gumlike1 | |
| —adj | |
| gum2 (ɡʌm) | |
| —n | |
| Technical name: gingiva the fleshy tissue that covers the jawbones around the bases of the teethRelated: gingival | |
| Related: gingival | |
| [Old English gōma jaw; related to Old Norse gōmr, Middle High German gūme, Lithuanian gomurīs] | |
| gum3 (ɡʌm) | |
| —n | |
| used in the mild oath by gum! | |
| [C19: euphemism for | |
| GUM | |
| —abbreviation for | |
| genitourinary medicine | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
gum
"resin," c.1300, from O.Fr. gomme, from L.L. gumma, from L. gummi, from Gk. kommi "gum," from Egyptian kemai. The verb, in the transferred fig. sense of "spoil, ruin" (usually with up) is first recorded 1901, probably from the notion of machinery becoming clogged. As a shortened form of chewing gum,
first attested 1842 in Amer.Eng.; gumshoe "plainclothes detective" is from 1906, from the rubber-soled shoes they wore (which were so called from 1863). Gum-tree (1676) was so called for the resin it exudes.
gum
"membranes of the mouth," from O.E. goma "palate," from a Gmc. source represented by O.N. gomi "palate," O.H.G. goumo, related to Lith. gomurys "palate," and perhaps from PIE *gheu- "to yawn" (cf. Gk. khaos, see chaos).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
gum 1 (gŭm)
n.
Any of various viscous substances that are exuded by certain plants and trees and dry into water-soluble, noncrystalline, brittle solids.
A similar plant exudate, such as a resin.
Any of various adhesives made from such exudates or other sticky substance.
gum 2
n.
The firm connective tissue covered by mucous membrane that envelops the alveolar arches of the jaw and surrounds the bases of the teeth. Also called gingiva. v. gummed, gum·ming, gums
To chew food with toothless gums.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
gum 1  (gŭm) Pronunciation Key
Any of various sticky substances that are produced by certain plants and trees and dry into brittle solids soluble in water. Gums typically are colloidal mixtures of polysaccharides and mineral salts. |
| gum 2 (gŭm) Pronunciation Key
See gingiva. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences from the web
Lying over the bone is the gingiva or gum, which is readily visible in the mouth.
They were called gums because they often were from red gum trees.
This was done by inserting a metal container of burning sulphur into the gum.
Image for Gum
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
