bubble gum
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Bubble gum, chewing gum, and gum all refer to something you chew without swallowing. The broadest term is gum, which covers any chewy substance — including chewing gum, natural tree gums, and even the sticky part of envelopes. Chewing gum is the everyday commercial product, sold in many flavours and forms; most chewing gum is not made for blowing bubbles. Bubble gum is the specific soft, stretchy kind designed to be blown into bubbles that pop. At a shop, you might say 'a pack of gum' for any type, but asking a friend 'Do you have any bubble gum?' means you want the kind you can blow bubbles with — not mint gum or sugar-free gum for fresh breath. Candy is different: it is meant to be eaten and swallowed, while all types of gum are chewed and then thrown away.
Etymology
Bubble gum was first made in 1928 by Walter Diemer, an accountant at the Fleer Chewing Gum Company in Philadelphia. He stumbled on a formula that was stretchy enough to blow bubbles with — earlier chewing gums were too stiff. The company called it Dubble Bubble and sold it for a penny a piece. The word itself combines bubble, which comes from Middle English bobel (perhaps imitating the sound of air rising through liquid), and gum, which traces through Old French gomme and Latin gummi all the way back to Greek kommi and ancient Egyptian qmyt — all meaning a sticky plant resin.