# gum

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡʌm/ · frequency rank #7,799

## Definitions
1. The flesh around the teeth.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **guy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-guy)
- **gun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gun)
- **gym** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gym)
- **gut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gut)
- **Gus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gus)
- **Guo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-guo)
- **GYN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gyn)
- **guys** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-guys)
- **guns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-guns)
- **guru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-guru)
- **guts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-guts)
- **Gunn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gunn)
- **gums** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gums)
- **gyms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gyms)
- **gust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gust)
- **gump** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gump)
- **gush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gush)
- **gurl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gurl)
- **gummy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gummy)
- **gumbo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gum-vs-gumbo)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gum