gum
gum — 形容詞
1. Covered with a layer of glue or sticky material, especially the kind that become
塗膠的
表面塗有黏膠的
Covered with a layer of glue or sticky material, especially the kind that becomes sticky when you wet it, so it can be used to seal or attach things.
Wei licked the gummed edge of the envelope and pressed it firmly shut.
Wei 舔了舔信封的塗膠邊緣，然後用力壓緊封口。
gummed edge of [paper item]
Olga wet the gummed side of the stamp before sticking it on the envelope.
這張郵票背面是塗膠的，Olga 只要沾濕就能貼上。
These gummed labels work well for addressing packages by hand.
這些塗膠標籤很適合手寫寄件地址。
The gummed tape must be moistened with water before it will stick to the cardboard box.
這種塗膠膠帶必須沾水才能黏在紙箱上。
A sheet of gummed paper was included in the craft kit for making homemade stickers.
手作套件裡附了一張塗膠紙，可以用來做貼紙。
- adhesive
broader — refers to anything that sticks, not specifically moisture-activated
- glue-coated
more literal and less common; describes the physical coating
- sticky
simpler but less precise — sticky things may already be tacky without moisture
- non-adhesive
does not stick at all
文法句型
gummed + noun
用法筆記
Most commonly found on envelopes, stamps, labels, and tape. The glue is activated by moisture, unlike the peel-and-stick adhesive on modern stickers. The adjective 'gummed' is the past-participle form of the verb 'gum' (see verb senses below).
常見錯誤
gum — 名詞
1. The firm, pink area of flesh in the mouth that covers the bones of the jaw and s
牙齦
牙齒周圍的粉色軟組織
The firm, pink area of flesh in the mouth that covers the bones of the jaw and surrounds the base of the teeth.
The dentist told Mei that her gums were slightly swollen and needed more careful cleaning.
牙醫告訴 Mei，她的牙齦有點腫，需要更仔細地清潔。
gums + swelling / bleeding
Brushing too hard can make your gums bleed and recede over time.
刷牙太用力會導致牙齦流血、萎縮。
The baby's gums were red and sore where the first tooth was pushing through.
寶寶長第一顆牙時，牙齦又紅又痛。
Dr. Nakamura recommended rinsing with salt water to soothe inflamed gums.
中村醫師建議用鹽水漱口來舒緩發炎的牙齦。
Healthy gums are pale pink and fit tightly around each tooth.
健康的牙齦呈淡粉色，緊緊包住每顆牙齒。
- gingiva
medical term for gums, used by dentists and in clinical writing
文法句型
[possessive] gums
gums + verb
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form (gums) even when referring to the tissue around a single tooth. The singular 'gum' is rare and sounds technical.
常見錯誤
2. A type of sweet candy that you chew for a long time but do not swallow, made fro
口香糖
咀嚼但不吞下的甜糖果
A type of sweet candy that you chew for a long time but do not swallow, made from a rubbery substance and available in many flavors.
Theo offered his friend a piece of mint gum after lunch.
Theo 遞了一片薄荷口香糖給他的朋友。
piece of gum / stick of gum
Some schools do not allow students to chew gum during class.
有些學校禁止學生在上課時嚼口香糖。
chew gum
Fatima accidentally stepped on someone's gum in the hallway and got it stuck to her shoe.
Fatima 在走廊上不小心踩到別人的口香糖，黏在鞋底上。
Kim bought a pack of fruit-flavored gum at the convenience store near the station.
Kim 在車站旁的便利商店買了一包水果口味的口香糖。
Blowing bubbles with bubble gum is harder than it looks.
用泡泡糖吹泡泡比看起來難多了。
- chewing gum
the full form of the word; slightly more formal
- bubble gum
a type of gum specifically made for blowing bubbles — usually pink and sweeter
文法句型
piece of gum
stick of gum
chew gum
用法筆記
As an uncountable noun ('some gum', 'a stick of gum'), it refers to the substance. The countable form 'a gum' is rare and only used in commercial contexts ('a fruit gum' = a single piece).
常見錯誤
3. A thick, sticky substance that comes out of some trees and plants when their bar
樹膠；膠質
植物分泌的黏性物質
A thick, sticky substance that comes out of some trees and plants when their bark is cut, used to make glue, thicken food, or bind materials together.
Gum from acacia trees is used to make glue and food thickeners.
從相思樹取得的樹膠可用來製作膠水和食物增稠劑。
gum from [tree species]
The candy was made with natural plant gum instead of gelatin.
這種糖果使用天然植物膠，而不是吉利丁。
natural gum / plant gum
Artists have used gum arabic for centuries to bind pigments in watercolor paints.
藝術家使用阿拉伯膠數百年來調合水彩顏料。
This thick gum hardens into a solid layer when it is exposed to air.
這種濃稠樹膠接觸空氣後會變硬。
The label says the sauce contains xanthan gum as a stabilizer.
標籤上寫醬料含有黃原膠作為穩定劑。
文法句型
gum from [plant]
[plant] gum
用法筆記
Often specified by the plant source (gum arabic, gum acacia, xanthan gum). In food contexts, gums are used as thickeners and emulsifiers. Do not confuse with chewing gum, which is a manufactured product named after this natural substance.
常見錯誤
4. A tall tree that produces a sticky substance from its bark, especially a eucalyp
膠樹；尤加利
會分泌樹膠的大樹
A tall tree that produces a sticky substance from its bark, especially a eucalyptus tree, which is common in Australia.
The tall gum trees in the park provided much-needed shade on hot summer days.
公園裡高大的膠樹在炎熱的夏日提供了珍貴的樹蔭。
gum tree
Koalas feed almost entirely on the leaves of certain types of gum trees.
無尾熊幾乎只吃特定種類膠樹的葉子。
Gum trees are known for the sticky sap that oozes from their bark, which is why they are called gum trees.
膠樹之所以得名，就是因為樹皮會滲出黏稠的樹膠。
Farmers planted rows of gum trees along the road to act as a windbreak.
農民沿著路邊種了一排排膠樹作為防風林。
A flock of parrots landed in the old gum tree behind the house.
一群鸚鵡停在屋後那棵老膠樹上。
- eucalyptus
the scientific name for the most common type of gum tree
- eucalypt
a shorter botanical term for any tree in the eucalyptus family
文法句型
gum tree
gum + noun
用法筆記
In British and Australian English, 'gum tree' most often refers to eucalyptus trees. In American English, it can also refer to other trees that produce gum, such as black gum or sweet gum. The phrase 'up a gum tree' is an Australian idiom meaning 'in a difficult situation'.
gum — 動詞
1. To block, clog, or cause something to stop working properly by getting sticky ma
阻塞；黏住
用黏性物質堵住
To block, clog, or cause something to stop working properly by getting sticky material attached to its moving parts or inner surface.
Too much glue will gum up the nozzle of the bottle if you are not careful.
如果不小心，太多膠水會堵住瓶嘴。
gum up [something] — phrasal verb for blocking
The old paint had gummed the hinges, so the door would not open properly.
舊油漆把鉸鏈黏住了，門沒辦法好好打開。
Grease from the frying pan had gummed up the kitchen drain over several months.
幾個月下來，平底鍋的油脂堵塞了廚房排水管。
The machine stopped running because the gears were gummed with dried oil and dust.
機器停止運轉，因為齒輪被乾掉的油和灰塵黏住了。
If you pour fat down the sink, it will gum the pipes and cause a blockage.
如果把油脂倒進水槽，會堵住水管。
文法句型
gum + noun + up
be gummed up
用法筆記
Most commonly appears in the phrasal verb 'gum up' (e.g., 'gum up the works' is a fixed expression meaning to cause a process to stop). Frequently used in the passive voice: 'the drain was gummed up with grease.' The form 'gummed' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'gum' (base form used as headword).
常見錯誤
2. To chew food by pressing it between the gums instead of using teeth, as a baby o
用牙齦嚼
無牙者用牙齦咀嚼
To chew food by pressing it between the gums instead of using teeth, as a baby or a person who has lost their teeth might do.
The old dog gummed his food happily because he had lost most of his teeth.
老狗快樂地用牙齦嚼著食物，因為牠大部分牙齒都掉光了。
gummed his food — animal or person without teeth
The baby gummed the soft cookie until it dissolved in her mouth.
寶寶用牙齦嚼著軟餅乾，直到餅乾在嘴裡化開。
Grandpa gummed the bread slowly, smiling at his grandson across the table.
爺爺慢慢地用牙齦嚼著麵包，隔著桌子對孫子微笑。
Without his dentures in place, he could only gum his breakfast that morning.
那天早上沒戴假牙，他只能靠牙齦嚼早餐。
文法句型
gum + food
用法筆記
A rare but vivid word. Most often used for babies (teething stage) or elderly people and animals who have lost their teeth. The image is gentle and descriptive rather than technical.
3. To produce and release a thick, sticky substance from a cut or damaged part of t
分泌樹膠
植物從傷口流出黏性物質
To produce and release a thick, sticky substance from a cut or damaged part of the bark or stem, as a natural response of certain trees and plants.
The cherry tree started to gum where the branch had been cut during pruning.
櫻桃樹在被修剪的斷枝處開始分泌樹膠。
[tree] gums where cut or damaged
When the bark is damaged by insects, the tree gums over the wound to protect itself.
樹皮被蟲咬傷時，樹木會分泌樹膠覆蓋傷口來保護自己。
gum over [a wound]
Thick golden drops of resin gummed slowly from the pine tree's cracked trunk.
松樹龜裂的樹幹上慢慢滲出金黃色的樹脂。
Farmers collect the sticky sap that gums from the rubber trees each morning.
農民每天早上採集從橡膠樹流出的黏性汁液。
文法句型
[tree/plant] gums
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively for trees and plants. The verb is intransitive (the tree gums) or used with 'over' to describe the sealing of a wound. Not to be confused with the transitive verb meaning 'to apply glue to something.'
4. To become sticky or to form a sticky mass, especially when pieces of something s
變黏
因濕或熱而黏在一起
To become sticky or to form a sticky mass, especially when pieces of something stick together because of moisture, heat, or a natural adhesive quality.
The sweets had gummed together in the heat of the car and formed a sticky lump.
糖果在車子裡的熱氣下黏成一團。
gum together — pieces sticking as a mass
Leftover syrup will gum on the stove if you do not wipe it off straight away.
如果沒有馬上擦掉，剩下的糖漿會黏在爐子上。
The old glue had gummed inside the bottle and could no longer be used.
舊膠水在瓶子裡凝固變黏，不能再用了。
The pages of the book had gummed together after the water damage.
書頁因泡過水而全部黏在一起。
- separate
to come apart or pull apart
文法句型
gum together
gum + adverb
用法筆記
This sense describes a process that happens naturally or accidentally, not an intentional action. Often paired with 'together' to indicate multiple items fusing into one mass. Common in informal descriptions of old or damaged items.