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Glite Dictionary
karaya gum

karaya gum

9.8
A sticky natural gum from an Asian tree used to thicken food and cosmetics and to make fabrics smooth
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : goma karaya
  • The chef added karaya gum to the sauce for thickness.

Examples

  • Her cosmetic moisturizer lists karaya gum as a natural thickening ingredient.

  • The textile industry uses karaya gum to give fabrics a smooth finish.

  • A small amount of karaya gum is added to processed foods to improve their texture.

  • Many cosmetics contain karaya gum as a stabilizer.

  • A small amount of karaya gum is added to processed foods to improve their texture.

  • Her cosmetic moisturizer lists karaya gum as a natural thickening ingredient.

  • The textile industry uses karaya gum to give fabrics a smooth finish.

Synonyms

gum arabic
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A sticky natural substance from the acacia tree used to thicken foods, candies, and medicines

is also used for finishing textiles and cosmetic thickening
sterculia gum
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
9.9

A sticky substance from Asian Sterculia trees used to thicken food, cosmetics, and cloth

is the general Asian tree product used for those same finishes
gum acacia
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
6.7

A natural sticky substance from acacia trees used to thicken food and medicine

is applied to finish textiles and thicken cosmetic products
Senegal gum
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
9.6

A natural gum from trees called acacia near the Senegal River used to thicken or stabilize food and medicines

is mainly chosen for textile finishing and cosmetic thickening
ghatti gum
vskaraya gum
  • Indian
9.9

A natural sticky substance from the dhawa tree used to thicken food and other products

is preferred for textile finishing and cosmetic thickening instead
ghatti
vskaraya gum
  • Indian
9.9

A natural gum from a tree in India used to thicken food and drinks

is mainly used for finishing textiles and thickening cosmetic items
mesquite gum
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
8.5

A natural sticky sweet substance from mesquite tree pods used in food and products

is instead applied to finish textiles and thicken cosmetic products
cherry-tree gum
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
9.3

A sticky substance that comes from cherry tree bark and is used to make food thicker

is mainly used for textile finishing and cosmetic thickening as well
tragacanth
vskaraya gum
  • Specialized
9.9

A natural gum from Middle Eastern plants used to thicken medicines and dyes

is more focused on food and cosmetic thickening and textile finishing

Surface Forms

karaya gum singular
karaya gums plural

Morphology

karaya + gum

The compound is compositionally regular — 'gum' (a sticky substance) modified by a specific source name 'karaya', so its meaning is essentially 'gum obtained from karaya'. However, 'karaya' is a rare, language-specific plant name (absent from the provided dictionary entry), so an average B1 learner who does not already know that proper noun will not be able to derive the referent. Because the relation is predictable if the source-word is known but not generally inferable by B1 learners, the item is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

Karaya gum comes from the tree name karaya and the word gum, which means sticky plant sap. People collect that sticky sap to thicken food and cosmetics and to make cloth smooth, so the name simply means 'gum from the karaya tree'.