*gum*

{ } n. [ Heb., perh. borrowed fr. Skr. valguka sandalwood. ] (Script.) A tree or wood of the Bible (2 Chron. ii. 8; 1 K. x. 11). [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Most writers at the present day follow Celsius, who takes it to be the red sandalwood of China and the Indian Archipelago. W. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

or , n. [ L. Ammoniacum, Gr. 'ammoniako`n a resinous gum, said to distill from a tree near the temple of Jupiter Ammon; cf. F. ammoniac. See Ammonite. ] (Med.) The concrete juice (gum resin) of an umbelliferous plant, the Dorema ammoniacum. It is brought chiefly from Iran in the form of yellowish tears, which occur singly, or are aggregated into masses. It has a peculiar smell, and a nauseous, sweet taste, followed by a bitter one. It is inflammable, partially soluble in water and in alcohol, and is used in medicine as an expectorant and resolvent, and for the formation of certain plasters. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

n. [ F. argument, L. argumentum, fr. arguere to argue. ] 1. Proof; evidence. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

There is.. no more palpable and convincing argument of the existence of a Deity. Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why, then, is it made a badge of wit and an argument of parts for a man to commence atheist, and to cast off all belief of providence, all awe and reverence for religion? South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A reason or reasons offered in proof, to induce belief, or convince the mind; reasoning expressed in words; as, an argument about, concerning, or regarding a proposition, for or in favor of it, or against it. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A process of reasoning, or a controversy made up of rational proofs; argumentation; discussion; disputation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The argument is about things, but names. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The subject matter of a discourse, writing, or artistic representation; theme or topic; also, an abstract or summary, as of the contents of a book, chapter, poem. [ 1913 Webster ]

You and love are still my argument. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The abstract or argument of the piece. Jeffrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Shields ] with boastful argument portrayed. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Matter for question; business in hand. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Sheathed their swords for lack of argument. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Astron.) The quantity on which another quantity in a table depends; as, the altitude is the argument of the refraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Math.) The independent variable upon whose value that of a function depends. Brande & C. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. argumentari. ] To make an argument; to argue. [ Obs. ] Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. argumentabilis. ] Admitting of argument. [ R. ] Chalmers. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. argumentalis. ] Of, pertaining to, or containing, argument; argumentative. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. argumentatio, from argumentari: cf. F. argumentation. ] 1. The act of forming reasons, making inductions, drawing conclusions, and applying them to the case in discussion; the operation of inferring propositions, not known or admitted as true, from facts or principles known, admitted, or proved to be true. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which manner of argumentation, how false and naught it is, . . . every man that hath with perceiveth. Tyndale. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Debate; discussion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Reasoning; discussion; controversy. See Reasoning. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Consisting of, or characterized by, argument; containing a process of reasoning; as, an argumentative discourse. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Adductive as proof; indicative; as, the adaptation of things to their uses is argumentative of infinite wisdom in the Creator. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Given to argument; characterized by argument; disputatious; as, an argumentative writer. [ 1913 Webster ]

--Ar`gu*men"ta*tive*ly, adv. -- Ar`gu*men"ta*tive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To argue or discuss. [ Obs. ] Wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr. Turk. beg (see Beg, n.) + Ar. umm mother. ] In the East Indies, a princess or lady of high rank. Malcom. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ n., }. [ Amer. Sp. chicle. ] A gumlike substance obtained from the bully tree (Mimusops globosa) and sometimes also from the naseberry or sapodilla (Sapota zapotilla). It is more plastic than caoutchouc and more elastic than gutta-percha, as an adulterant of which it is used in England. It is used largely in the United States in making chewing gum. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Degummed p. pr. & vb. n. Degumming. ] To deprive of, or free from, gum; as, to degum ramie. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. energumenos, fr. Gr. &unr_; possessed by an evil spirit, from &unr_;: cf. F. énergumène. See Energetic. ] (Eccl. Antiq.) One possessed by an evil spirit; a demoniac. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] A juggler's trick; conjuring. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The devil is the author of wicked figgum. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deepen and enlarge the spaces between the teeth of (a worn saw). See Gummer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gome, AS. gama palate; akin Co G. gaumen, OHG. goumo, guomo, Icel. g&unr_;mr, Sw. gom; cf. Gr. &unr_; to gape. ] The dense tissues which invest the teeth, and cover the adjacent parts of the jaws. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gum rash (Med.), strophulus in a teething child; red gum. --
Gum stick, a smooth hard substance for children to bite upon while teething. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gomme, gumme, F. gomme, L. gummi and commis, fr. Gr. &unr_;, prob. from an Egyptian form kam&unr_;; cf. It. gomma. ] 1. A vegetable secretion of many trees or plants that hardens when it exudes, but is soluble in water; as, gum arabic; gum tragacanth; the gum of the cherry tree. Also, with less propriety, exudations that are not soluble in water; as, gum copal and gum sandarac, which are really resins. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) See Gum tree, below. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A hive made of a section of a hollow gum tree; hence, any roughly made hive; also, a vessel or bin made of a hollow log. [ Southern U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A rubber overshoe. [ Local, U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Black gum,
Blue gum,
British gum, etc. See under Black, Blue, etc. --
Gum Acaroidea, the resinous gum of the Australian grass tree (Xanlhorrhœa). --
Gum animal (Zool.), the galago of West Africa; -- so called because it feeds on gums. See Galago. --
Gum animi or animé. See Animé. --
Gum arabic, a gum yielded mostly by several species of Acacia (chiefly A. vera and A. Arabica) growing in Africa and Southern Asia; -- called also gum acacia. East Indian gum arabic comes from a tree of the Orange family which bears the elephant apple. --
Gum butea, a gum yielded by the Indian plants Butea frondosa and B. superba, and used locally in tanning and in precipitating indigo. --
Gum cistus, a plant of the genus Cistus (Cistus ladaniferus), a species of rock rose. --
Gum dragon. See Tragacanth. --
Gum elastic,
Elastic gum. See Caoutchouc. --
Gum elemi. See Elemi. --
Gum juniper. See Sandarac. --
Gum kino. See under Kino. --
Gum lac. See Lac. --
Gum Ladanum, a fragrant gum yielded by several Oriental species of Cistus or rock rose. --
Gum passages, sap receptacles extending through the parenchyma of certain plants (Amygdalaceæ, Cactaceæ, etc.), and affording passage for gum. --
Gum pot, a varnish maker's utensil for melting gum and mixing other ingredients. --
Gum resin, the milky juice of a plant solidified by exposure to air; one of certain inspissated saps, mixtures of, or having properties of, gum and resin; a resin containing more or less mucilaginous and gummy matter. --
Gum sandarac. See Sandarac. --
Gum Senegal, a gum similar to gum arabic, yielded by trees (Acacia Verek and A. Adansoniä) growing in the Senegal country, West Africa. --
Gum tragacanth. See Tragacanth. --
Gum water, a solution of gum, esp. of gum arabic, in water. --
Gum wood, the wood of any gum tree, esp. the wood of the Eucalyptus piperita, of New South Wales. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Gummed p. pr. & vb. n. Gumming. ] 1. To smear with gum; to close with gum; to unite or stiffen by gum or a gumlike substance; to make sticky with a gumlike substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

He frets like a gummed velvet. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To chew with the gums, rather than with the teeth. [ PJC ]

gum up (a) To block or clog (a conduit) with or as if with gum; as, to gum up the drainpipe. (b) to interfere with; to spoil. [ Slang ] [ PJC ]

v. i. To exude or form gum; to become gummy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A piece of chewing gum in the shape of a ball, usually covered with a colored glaze of sugar. They are often sold in a small, special-purpose coin-operated vending machine called a gumball machine. [ PJC ]

n. [ Written also gombo. ] 1. A soup thickened with the mucilaginous pods of the okra; okra soup. Especially, A thick stew made with chicken (chicken gumbo), or seafood (seafood gumbo), thickened with okra or file, and also containing greens and often hot spices; it is particularly popular in Louisiana. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The okra plant or its pods. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) A small suppurating inflamed spot on the gum. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A tropical American tree (Bursera simaruba) yielding a reddish resin used in cements and varnishes.
Syn. -- Bursera simaruba. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. an inferior lac produced by lac insects in Madagascar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n.; pl. Gummata [ NL. So called from its gummy contents See Gum. ] (Med.) A kind of soft tumor, usually of syphilitic origin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Belonging to, or resembling, gumma. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From 2d Gum. ] A punch-cutting tool, or machine for deepening and enlarging the spaces between the teeth of a worn saw. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. gummi gum + -ferous. ] Producing gum; gum-bearing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being gummy; viscousness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ So called because it occurs in rounded or flattened pieces which look like gum. ] (Min.) A yellow amorphous mineral, essentially a hydrated oxide of uranium derived from the alteration of uraninite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Gumminess; a viscous or adhesive quality or nature. [ R. ] Floyer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. gummosus; cf. F. gommeux. ] 1. Gumlike, or composed of gum; gummy. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) Of or pertaining to a gumma. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Gummer (&unr_;); superl. Gummirst. ] Consisting of gum; viscous; adhesive; producing or containing gum; covered with gum or a substance resembling gum. [ 1913 Webster ]

Kindles the gummy bark of fir or pine. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then rubs his gummy eyes. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gummy tumor (Med.), a gumma. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Sw. & Dan. gump buttocks, rump, Icel. gumpr. ] A dolt; a dunce. [ Low. ] Holloway. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gom, gome, attention; akin to AS. geómian, gyman, to regard, observe, gyme care, OS. gomean to heed, Goth. gaumjan to see, notice. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Capacity; shrewdness; common sense. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

One does not have gumption till one has been properly cheated. Lord Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Paint.) (a) The art of preparing colors. Sir W. Scott.

(b) Megilp. Fairholt.

3. initiative; resourcefulness. [ PJC ]

4. Courage; guts. [ PJC ]

adj. 1. enterprising.
Syn. -- energetic, industrious, up-and-coming. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. (Sport) A piece of athletic equipment that protects an athlete's mouth.
Syn. -- mouthpiece. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A detective; a private eye. [ slang ] [ PJC ]

2. A shoe made of rubber, as a rubber overshoe. [ PJC ]

3. A sneaker{ 3 }. [ PJC ]

n. Any tree that exudes a gum, such as: (a) The black gum (Nyssa multiflora), one of the largest trees of the Southern States, bearing a small blue fruit, the favorite food of the opossum. Most of the large trees become hollow. (b) A tree of the genus Eucalyptus; a eucalypt. See Eucalpytus. (c) The sweet gum tree of the United States (Liquidambar styraciflua), a large and beautiful tree with pointedly lobed leaves and woody burlike fruit. It exudes an aromatic terebinthine juice. (d) The sour gum tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of various Western American plants of the genus Grindelia having resinous leaves and stems formerly used medicinally; often poisonous to livestock.
Syn. -- gum plant, tarweed, rosinweed, rosin-weed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. wood or lumber from any of various gum trees especially the sweet gum.
Syn. -- gum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See Integument. ] That part of physiology which treats of the integuments of animals and plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. integumentum, fr. integere to cover; pref. in- in, on + tegere to cover: cf. F. intégument. See 1st n-, and Tegument. ] That which naturally invests or covers another thing, as the testa or the tegmen of a seed; specifically (Anat.), a covering which invests the body, as the skin, or a membrane that invests a particular part. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Belonging to, or composed of, integuments. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or process of covering with integuments; the state or manner of being thus covered. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. L. Juga E. Jugums [ L., a yoke, ridge. ] (Bot.) (a) One of the ridges commonly found on the fruit of umbelliferous plants. (b) A pair of the opposite leaflets of a pinnate plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or }. A resinous product of the kauri, found in the form of yellow or brown lumps in the ground where the trees have grown. It is used for making varnish, and as a substitute for amber. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ Native name. ] (Zool.) A West African antelope (Damalis Senegalensis), allied to the sassaby. It is reddish gray, with a black face, and a black stripe on the outside of the legs above the knees. [ 1913 Webster ]