English

Nyssa sylvatica

Alternative forms

• blackgum

Noun

black gum ‎(plural black gums)

1. Used other than as an idiom: see black,‎ gum.
   • 2009, Tricia Telep, The Eternal Kiss, 2010, Large Print Edition, page 67,

     He grinned, displaying crooked teeth and black gums. Yikes.

2. A tree native to eastern North America, Nyssa sylvatica.
   • 1958, William O. Steele, The Perilous Road, 2004, page 2,

     Sweet gums and black gums and sourwoods made the woods bright now when oaks and hickories had just begun to look dull and faded.

   • 2006, Richard M. Donovan, Paddling the Wild Neches, page 77,

     Old settlers learned from the bees and built their own beehives with two-foot sections sawn from the trunks of hollow black gums.

   • 2011, John S. Burk, The Wildlife of New England: A Viewer's Guide, page 175,

     The sanctuary's other habitats include forests of black cherry, red cedar, black locust, beech, and oak, with red maples and black gums in wet areas.

Synonyms

• (Nyssa sylvatica): black tupelo, pepperidge, sour gum

Translations