black gum

noun

: a tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) of the eastern U.S. with light and soft but tough wood

Examples of black gum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Elliott looks up and envisions a black gum with deep red-orange leaves in the fall. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 6 July 2024 Elliott steps back and decides on another black gum left of the front door. Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 6 July 2024 Redbud, red maple, scarlet oak, black gum and sycamore are among the varieties being offered for pickup this weekend at the paring lot of the Benjamin Banneker Museum and Park in Catonsville. Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2024 Also called tupelo, black gum is a fast grower that doesn’t mind swampy areas. Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 21 July 2023 Our fall color standouts tend to be Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) all of which are fantastic fall color trees, but none of them show up in sufficient density for a screen-saver-worthy aerial photo. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 16 Oct. 2020 The remains of a four-chambered brick structure are set among black gum trees, live oaks and scrub brush. Latria Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2022 Soon, a balding man wearing black gum boots came into view: Pierre Bizimana, a farmer and a part-time milk collector. Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2022 Streets receiving new trees -- ranging from white oak and black gum to Brandywine maple -- include Greenleaf Avenue, Parma Park Boulevard, Commonwealth Boulevard, Appleton Drive, Blossom Avenue, Barrington Boulevard and Lawndale Drive. John Benson, cleveland, 8 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1709, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black gum was in 1709

Dictionary Entries Near black gum

Cite this Entry

“Black gum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20gum. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!