[gum] n [ME gome, fr. OE goma palate; akin to OHG guomo palate, and perh. to Gk chaos abyss] (bef. 12c): 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
[2]gum vt gummed ; gum.ming (1777) 1: to enlarge gullets of (a saw)
2: to chew with the gums [3]gum n [ME gomme, fr. MF, fr. L cummi, gummi, fr. Gk kommi, fr. Egypt qmyt] (14c) 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 Austral: eucalyptus
4: the wood or lumber of a gum; esp: that of the sweet gum
5: chewing gum [4]gum vb gummed ; gum.ming vt (1597): to clog, impede, or damage with or as if with gum "~ up the works" ~ vi 1: to exude or form gum
2: to become gummy -- gum.mer n