
gum up
[Middle English gomme, from Old French, from Late Latin gumma, variant of Latin gummi, cummi, from Greek kommi, perhaps from Egyptian ḳmj-t.]
For more information on gum, visit Britannica.com.
A class of high-molecular-weight molecules, usually with colloidal properties, which in an appropriate solvent or swelling agent are able to produce gels at low dry-substance content. The molecules are either hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The term gum is applied to a wide variety of substances of gummy characteristics, and therefore cannot be precisely defined. See also Gel.
Various rubbers are considered to be gums, as are many synthetic polymers, high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, or other petroleum products. Chicle for chewing gum is an example of a hydrophobic polymer which is termed a gum but is not frequently classified among the gums. Quite often listed among the gums are the hydrophobic resinous saps that often exude from plants and are commercially tapped in balsam (gum balsam) and other evergreen trees (gum resin). Incense gums such as myrrh and frankincense are likewise fragrant plant exudates.
Usually, however, the term gum, as technically employed in industry, refers to plant polysaccharides or their derivatives. Modern usage of the term includes water-soluble derivatives of cellulose and derivatives and modifications of other polysaccharides which in the natural form are insoluble. Usage, therefore, also includes with gums the ill-defined group of plant slimes called mucilages. See also Colloid; Polysaccharide.
Gums are used in foods as stabilizers and thickeners. They form viscous solutions which prevent aggregation of the small particles of the dispersed phase. In this way they aid in keeping solids dispersed in chocolate milk, air in whipping cream, and fats in salad dressings. Gum solutions also retard crystal growth in ice cream (ice crystals) and in confections (sugar crystals). Their thickening and stabilizing properties make them useful in water-base paints, printing inks, and drilling muds. Because of these properties they also are used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals as emulsifiers or bases for ointments, greaseless creams, toothpastes, lotions, demulcents, and emollients. The adhesive properties of gums make them useful in the production of cardboard, postage stamps, gummed envelopes, and as pill binders. Other applications include the production of dental impression molds, fibers (alginate rayon), soluble surgery films and gauze, blood anticoagulants, plasma extenders, beverage-clarifying agents, bacteriological culture media, half-cell bridges, and tungsten-wire-drawing lubricants.
Bibliography
See C. L. Mantell et al., The Technology of Natural Resins (1942); C. L. Mantell, The Water-Soluble Gums (1947, repr. 1965); R. L. Davidson, Handbook of Water-Soluble Gums and Resins (1980).
| guinzo, guinea-pig, guinea | |
| gump, gumshoe, gumsucker |

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - gummi, harpiks, tyggegummi, slim i øjenkrogen
v. tr. - fuppe, gummiere, behandle med gummi, klæbe fast, snyde
v. intr. - udsvede harpiks, blive klæbrig
idioms:
2.
n. - gumme, tandkød
v. tr. - tygge med gummerne
idioms:
3.
idioms:
abbr. - genitourinary medicine
Nederlands (Dutch)
tandvlees, kauwgom, (Arabische) gom, lijm, rubberlaars, gommen, gom afgeven (boom), met het tandvlees kauwen, ruimte tussen zaagtanden vergroten
Français (French)
1.
n. - chewing-gum, colle, gomme (d'un arbre)
v. tr. - gommer, coller (à, sur, ensemble)
v. intr. - exsuder de la gomme, devenir gluant, se boucher (avec une substance gommeuse), abîmer, bousiller
idioms:
2.
n. - (Anat) gencive
v. tr. - mastiquer avec les gencives
idioms:
3.
idioms:
abbr. - médecine génito-urinaire
Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Zahnfleisch
v. - gummieren, kleben
idioms:
2.
n. - Gummi, Kaugummi, Leim
v. - gummieren, kleben
idioms:
3.
idioms:
abbr. - (Med.) Urogenitalmedizin
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γόμα, κόλλα, κόμμι, (φυσιολ.) ούλο, τσίχλα, μαστίχα, τσίμπλα
v. - γομάρω, κολλώ, τσιμπλιάζω
idioms:
Italiano (Italian)
gomma, gengive, gomma da masticare, colla
idioms:
Português (Portuguese)
n. - goma (f), resina (f), cola (f), gengiva (f), borracha (f), seringueira (f) (Bot.)
v. - segregar látex, engomar, colar
idioms:
Русский (Russian)
десна, клей, жевательная резинка, камедь, смолистое выделение, клейкое выделение во внутреннем углу глаза, склеивать, выделять смолу
idioms:
Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - goma, caucho, resina
v. tr. - pegar con goma
v. intr. - exudar goma, volverse gomoso, pegotearse con una sustancia gomosa
idioms:
2.
n. - encía, chicle, goma de mascar
v. tr. - masticar la comida con encías sin dientes
idioms:
3.
idioms:
abbr. - Medicina génitourinaria
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gummi, kåda, gelékaramell, tuggummi, galoscher, tandkött (anat.)
v. - gummera, fästa med gummi, lura, klibba (fast)
中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
齿龈, 橡胶, 树脂, 口香糖
1. 树胶, 树脂, 橡皮糖, 口香糖, 胶, 粘合剂, 橡胶树, 用胶涂, 欺骗, 粘合, 分泌树胶, 发粘
idioms:
2. 齿龈, 牙床, 用牙床咀嚼
中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
abbr. - 齒齦, 橡膠, 樹脂, 口香糖
1.
n. - 齒齦, 牙床
v. tr. - 用牙床咀嚼
2.
n. - 樹膠, 樹脂, 橡皮糖, 口香糖, 膠, 粘合劑, 橡膠樹
v. tr. - 用膠塗, 欺騙, 粘合
v. intr. - 分泌樹膠, 發粘
idioms:
한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 수지, 고무, 껌, 눈꼽
v. tr. - 고무를 붙이다, 속이다, 잡담하다
v. intr. - 수액을 분비하다, 진득거리다
idioms:
2.
n. - 잇몸
v. tr. - 이가 빠진 잇몸으로 씹다
3.
idioms:
abbr. - State Universal Store (모스크바 붉은 광장 앞의 국영 백화점)
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ゴム質, アラビア糊, ゴム糊, 糊, 樹脂, ガム, オーバーシューズ, 目やに, 歯肉, 歯ぐき, 弾性ゴム
v. - ゴムを塗る, だます, 目立てをする, 歯ぐきでかむ, ゴム質を分泌する, ゴム状になる
idioms:
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) لثه, صمغ, علكه (فعل) يمضغ, يلصق بالصمغ
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - גומי, דבק, גומי-לעיסה, מסטיק, סוכריה, עץ-שרף, שרף-עצים
v. tr. - מרח או כיסה בגומי, הדביק בדבק גומי, הפריש גומי
v. intr. - להיות דביק כדבק גומי
n. - הבשר המוצק סביב שורש השן
v. tr. - לעס אוכל בחניכיים ולא בשניים, השחיז שניים של משור
n. - שבועה
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