I. ˈgəm noun
Etymology: Middle English gome, from Old English gōma palate; akin to Old High German guomo palate, and perhaps to Greek chaos abyss
Date: before 12th century
: the tissue that surrounds the necks of teeth and covers the alveolar parts of the jaws ; broadly : the alveolar portion of a jaw with its enveloping soft tissues
II. transitive verb
( gummed ; gum·ming )
Date: 1777
1. : to enlarge gullets of (a saw)
2. : to chew with the gums
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English gomme, from Middle French, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Greek kommi, from Egyptian qmyt
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying and are salts of complex organic acids — compare mucilage 1
b. : any of various plant exudates (as an oleoresin or gum resin)
2. : a substance or deposit resembling a plant gum (as in sticky or adhesive quality)
3.
a. : a tree (as a black gum) that yields gum
b. Australian : eucalyptus
4. : the wood or lumber of a gum ; especially : that of the sweet gum
5. : chewing gum
IV. verb
( gummed ; gum·ming )
Date: 1597
transitive verb
: to clog, impede, or damage with or as if with gum
gum up the works
intransitive verb
1. : to exude or form gum
2. : to become gummy
• gum·mer noun