gum

gum · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ǵʰeh₂-“to gape, yawn”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gaumô
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*gōmō
4. Old English · inherited fromgōma“palate”
5. Middle English · inherited fromgom
6. English todaygum

From Middle English gom, gome, gomme, goome, gum, gume, gumme, from Old English gōma (“palate”), from Proto-West Germanic *gōmō, from Proto-Germanic *gaumô, *gōmô (“palate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂- (“to gape, yawn”). Cognates Cognate with Cimbrian gaumo (“palate”), German Gaum, Gaumen (“palate”), Luxembourgish Gomm, Gumm (“palate”), Yiddish גומען (gumen, “palate”), Danish gumme (“gums”), Icelandic gómur (“gum”), Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish gom (“palate”); also Latin hio (“to gape, yawn”), Ancient Greek χάσκω (kháskō, “to gape, yawn”), Lithuanian gomurỹs (“palate”), Bulgarian зе́я (zéja, “to gape”), Czech zát, zet (“to gape”), Polish ziać (“to pant”), Russian зия́ть (zijátʹ, “to gape, yawn”), Serbo-Croatian зи́јати, zíjati (“to gape, yawn”), Ukrainian зя́яти (zjájaty, “to gape”), Tocharian A koy- (“mouth”), Tocharian B koyn (“mouth”). More at yawn.

gum · noun, verb²

1. Egyptianqmy
2. Egyptianqmyt
3. Ancient Greekκόμμι (kómmi)
4. Latincummis
5. Late Latingumma
6. Anglo-Normangome
7. Middle Englishgumme
8. English todaygum

From Middle English gomme, gumme, borrowed from Anglo-Norman gome, from Late Latin gumma, from Latin cummi, gummi, from Ancient Greek κόμμι (kómmi), from Egyptian qmy (“anointing oil”), qmyt (“acanthus resin, gum”). Cognate with Spanish goma (“rubber”). Doublet of gumma.

Gum · proper noun³

1. Old Saxon · derived fromgumo“man”
2. English todayGum

* As an English and German surname, variant of Gumm. * As a north/Low German surname, from Old Saxon gumo (“man”). * As a Chinese surname, Romanized from 甘 (gān) (Gan).

Words from the same roots