sour gum


noun
  1. a tree, Nyssa sylvatica, of eastern North America, having elliptic leaves, dark-blue, berrylike fruit, and wood with a variety of commercial uses.

Origin of sour gum

1
An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

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How to use sour gum in a sentence

  • The autumn days ran out and in the depth of the southern woods, here and there, the black gums and sweet gums began to flame.

    Sons and Fathers | Harry Stillwell Edwards
  • The red and black gums are perhaps the simplest of the hardwoods in structure.

    Seasoning of Wood | Joseph B. Wagner

British Dictionary definitions for sour gum

sour gum

noun
  1. a cornaceous tree, Nyssa sylvatica, of the eastern US, having glossy leaves, soft wood, and sour purplish fruits: Also called: black gum, pepperidge See also tupelo Compare sweet gum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012