Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Covered with adhesive gum: Describes a surface that has been coated or treated with a sticky, adhesive substance, typically a type of gum or glue, to make it adhere to another surface.

Usage

• The term "gummed" is primarily used to describe items like envelopes, labels, stamps, or paper that have a pre-applied adhesive layer. This adhesive is usually activated by moisture (licking or dampening). It indicates the item is ready to be stuck to something else.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • Please use the gummed envelope for your reply. (The envelope has a pre-applied adhesive strip.)
  • The gummed label wouldn't stick properly to the dusty surface. (The label's adhesive coating failed to adhere.)
  • He licked the gummed flap to seal the package. (The flap was coated with a moisture-activated adhesive.)

Advanced Usage

• "gummed up" (phrasal verb/adjectival phrase): While "gummed" alone refers to a functional adhesive coating, the phrase "gummed up" is an informal idiom meaning clogged, jammed, or made sticky and inoperative, often by a gummy or viscous substance.
  • The printer's rollers were gummed up with dried ink. (The rollers were clogged and stuck.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gum (verb): To coat, clog, or stick with a gummy substance.
  • The old machinery was gummed with oil and grime.
• Gummy (adjective): Having a sticky, glue-like consistency.
  • The candy left a gummy residue on my fingers.

Synonyms

• Adhesive-coated: Having a layer of glue or sticky substance.
• Glued: Fastened with glue (though "glued" often implies the action is already complete, while "gummed" often describes the prepared state).
• Sticky: Tending to adhere to surfaces.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• Gummed label/paper/envelope: Standard terms for stationery items with pre-applied adhesive.
• To gum something down: To fasten something using a gummed adhesive. (Less common; "glue down" is more frequent).

Adjective

1. covered with adhesive gum