Meanings
plural blue gums · alternative bluegum
- Any of various eucalyptus trees having blueish leaves, especially Eucalyptus globulus.First known use 19th c.
I am hoping, maybe because I am roasting out here, that it is to accommodate some breed of shady tree. Like a bluegum or a paperbark.
2007, Craig Silvey, Jasper Jones, Allen & Unwin, published 2007, page 951 more example
Now there are five, solidly built, with concrete bases, galvanized poles and struts, and heavy-gauge mesh, shaded by young bluegum trees.
1999, JM Coetzee, Disgrace, Vintage, published 2000, page 61 - offensiveslangA person of sub-Saharan African origin.
Synonyms & antonyms
nountall fast-growing timber tree with leaves containing a medicinal oil; young leaves are bluish
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
* blue + gum * (person of sub-Saharan African origin): Referring to the blue coloring around their gumline.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan febrer
- febrerany of various eucalyptus trees
Cite this entry
blue gum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20gum
“blue gum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20gum. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “blue gum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/blue%20gum.
Source: blue gum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.