🌳 A tree 🍬 Aromatic resin 🪵 Reddish wood

sweet gum

7.0

Reddish-brown wood from a North American tree used to make furniture

noun
/swit ɡʌm/

: madera de goma dulce

Many furniture makers prefer sweet gum for its durability.

Examples

The table is made of sweet gum wood.
The carpenter selected sweet gum for the elegant cabinetry because of its appealing grain.
Tables made from sweet gum are prized for their attractive reddish-brown color.
They ordered several planks of sweet gum to restore the antique furniture.
Tables made from sweet gum are prized for their attractive reddish-brown color.
The carpenter selected sweet gum for the elegant cabinetry because of its appealing grain.
They ordered several planks of sweet gum to restore the antique furniture.

Synonyms

gum

vssweet gum

1 6.7

Wood from gum trees used for building or making furniture

is specific to the reddish brown heartwood of a single tree species

red gum

vssweet gum

7.5

Reddish-brown wood from a tree used for making furniture and floors

is the name that refers to the same wood but uses the tree name

satin walnut

vssweet gum

Specialized

8.0

A reddish-brown wood often used for furniture and flooring

is broader and covers interior finishes too

gumwood

vssweet gum

8.8

Wood that comes from gum trees used for making furniture and panels

is the specific reddish brown heartwood used for furniture and interior finishes

Surface Forms

sweet gum singular

sweet gums plural

Morphology

sweet + gum

The noun is a compositional adjective+noun compound: 'sweet' modifies 'gum' to denote a particular kind of gum tree (and its wood). If a learner knows 'sweet' and the botanical sense of 'gum' (a tree producing resin/wood), they can infer this refers to the wood of the sweet gum tree, a common and predictable naming pattern cross-linguistically.

Etymology

Sweet gum also names the reddish-brown 'wood' taken from the sweet gum tree. The wood is called sweet gum because it comes from the tree that makes the sweet, sticky gum.