gum

I. 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; gumming) 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; gumming) 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 • gummer noun