gum1

noun

• 1a viscous secretion of some trees and shrubs that hardens on drying but is soluble in water, and from which adhesives and other products are made. Compare with resin.
• glue that is used for sticking paper or other light materials together.
• short for chewing gum or bubblegum.
• a gum tree, especially a eucalyptus. See also sweet gum.

• 2North American dated a long rubber boot.

verb (gums, gumming, gummed)

• cover with gum or glue: (as adjective gummed)gummed paper
• fasten with gum or glue:I was gumming small green leaves to a paper tree
• (gum something up) clog up a mechanism and prevent it from working properly:open and close the valves to make sure they don’t get gummed up figurativethere was no winner and they debated the factors that could have gummed up the works