/ gʌm; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C , usually pl. ] either of the firm areas of flesh in the mouth to which the teeth are attached :
gum disease
—picture at face
2.
[ U ] a sticky substance produced by some types of tree
3.
[ U ] a type of glue used for sticking light things together, such as paper
4.
[ U ] = chewing gum
5.
[ C ] a firm transparent fruit-flavoured sweet / candy that you chew :
fruit gums
•
IDIOMS
- by gum!
■ verb
( -mm- ) [ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] gum A to B | gum sth (down) (rather old-fashioned ) to spread glue on the surface of sth; to stick two things together with glue :
A large address label was gummed to the package.
gummed labels (= with glue on one side)
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- gum sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 2 to 5 and verb Middle English : from Old French gomme , based on Latin gummi , from Greek kommi , from Egyptian kemai .
noun sense 1 Old English gōma inside of the mouth or throat , of Germanic origin; related to German Gaumen roof of the mouth.