gum¹ /gum/

1. The firm fleshy tissue that surrounds the bases of the teeth
2. Insolence (old slang)
3. Nonsense, humbug (old US dialect)

1. To deepen and widen the gaps between the teeth of (a saw) to make it last longer (US)
2. To chew with (toothless) gums
3. To talk nonsense, to jaw (old US dialect)
4. To dupe, cheat, deceive (US sl)

gummˈily adverb

gummˈy adjective

Toothless

gumˈboil noun

A small abscess on the gum

gumˈshield noun

A flexible pad worn by boxers and others to protect the teeth and gums

gum² /gum/

1. A substance that collects in or exudes from certain plants, and hardens on the surface, dissolves or swells in water, but does not dissolve in alcohol or ether
2. A plant gum or similar substance used as an adhesive, a stiffener, or for other purposes
3. Any gumlike or sticky substance
4. Chewing gum, bubble gum
5. A gumdrop (qv below)
6. A gum tree
7. Gummosis
8. A gumboot (US)
9. A beehive, or trough, orig and esp one made from a hollow gum tree (US dialect)

1. To smear, coat, treat or unite with gum
2. To spoil, wreck (esp with up; slang, orig US)

1. To become gummy
2. To exude gum

gummifˈerous adjective

Producing gum

gummˈiness noun

gummˈing noun

1. The act of fastening with gum
2. The application of gum in solution to a lithographic stone
3. Gummosis
4. The process of becoming gummy

gummosˈity noun

Gumminess

gummˈous or gummˈy adjective

1. Consisting of or resembling gum
2. Producing or covered with gum

gum ammoniac noun

Ammoniac, a gum resin

gum arabic noun

A gum obtained from various acacias, used as an adhesive and in the production of inks and food-thickeners

gum benjamin see benjamin²

gumˈboot noun

A rubber boot

gumˈ-digger noun

1. A person who digs up fossilized kauri gum (NZ)
2. A dentist (old Aust informal)

gum dragon or gum tragacanth noun

Tragacanth

gumˈdrop noun

A gelatinous type of sweet containing gum arabic

gum elastic noun

Rubber

gum juniper noun

Sandarach

gumˈnut noun

The woody fruit of the eucalyptus

gum olibanum same as olibanum

gum resin noun

A resin mixed with gum

gumˈshoe noun (US)

1. A rubber overshoe
2. A shoe with a rubber sole, a sneaker
3. A detective or policeman (slang)

intransitive verb (US sl)

To snoop, pry

gum tree noun

A tree that exudes gum, or gum resin, kino, etc, esp a eucalyptus tree, or an American tree (genus Nyssa) of the cornel family

gum up the works (informal)

To make (eg a machine or scheme) unworkable

up a gum tree

In a difficult situation (from the opossum's preferred place of refuge)

• rubineous
• rubines
• rubins
• rubious
• ruble
• rubles
• rub off on
• rub off on to
• rub of the green
• rub one's hands
• rub on the green
• rub out
• rubout
• rubouts
• rubric
• rubrical
• rubrically
• rubricate
• rubricated
• rubricates
• rubricating
• rubrication
• rubrications
• rubricator
• rubricators