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Rubber vs Gum - What's the difference?

rubber | gum |

In uncountable terms the difference between rubber and gum

is that rubber is pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon polymer of isoprene while gum is chewing gum.

In countable terms the difference between rubber and gum

is that rubber is someone or something which rubs while gum is a single piece of chewing gum.

As an initialism GUM is

genitourinary medicine.

rubber

English

(wikipedia rubber)

Etymology 1

The substance was originally named for its ability to function as an eraser. The senses not having to do with rubbing or erasing are secondarily derived from the name of the substance.

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (uncountable) Pliable material derived from the sap of the rubber tree; a hydrocarbon polymer of isoprene.
  • (uncountable, countable) Synthetic materials with the same properties as natural rubber.
  • (countable, UK) An eraser.
  • * 2006 , Lisa Kervin, Research for Educators , page 148,
  • For example, they may use paddle pop sticks, hand span, pencils, rubbers , mathematics equipment (i.e. base 10 material) or anything else the teacher can find to measure the lengths of nominated objects.
  • * 2010 , Anna Jacobs, Beyond the Sunset , unnumbered page,
  • Drawing materials,'' he thought, ''I used to love drawing as a lad. I can afford some plain paper and pencils, surely? And a rubber''', too.'' He smiled at the memory of an elderly uncle, also fond of drawing, who?d always called ' rubbers ‘lead eaters’.
  • * 2011 , Patrick Lindsay, The Spirit of the Digger , Revised edition, unnumbered page,
  • Stan stole a diary and some pens, pencils, ink and rubbers during his early days as a POW working on the Singapore docks.
  • (countable, North America, slang) A condom.
  • Not covered by funds on account.
  • (countable) Someone or something which rubs.
  • * 1949 , LIFE (11 July 1949, page 21)
  • What perplexity plagues the chin-rubber in the foreground and what so discourages the man leaning on the lamp post? And to what doom is the large man at right moving? Photographer Cowherd has no answers.
  • (countable, baseball) The rectangular pad on the pitcher's mound from which the pitcher must pitch.
  • Jones toes the rubber and then fires to the plate.
  • (North America, in the plural) Water resistant shoe covers, galoshes, overshoes.
  • Johnny, don't forget your rubbers today.
  • (uncountable, slang) Tires, particularly racing tires.
  • Jones enters the pits to get new rubber .
    Synonyms
    * (condom) see .
    Derived terms
    * rubber band * rubber bullet * rubberize * rubber johnny * rubber jungle * rubber plant * rubber policeman * rubber room * rubber tree * rubbery

    Etymology 2

    Origin unknown.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (sports) A series of an odd number of games or matches of which a majority must be won (thus precluding a tie), especially a match consisting of the best of a series of three games in bridge or whist.
  • * 1907 May 25, in The Publishers' Weekly , number 1843, page 1608 [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZCADAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22her%20grand-aunt%22&pg=PA1608#v=onepage&q=%22her%20grand-aunt%22&f=false]:
  • an old lady's innocent rubber .
  • (sports) A game or match played to break a tie.
  • The game of rubber bridge.
  • "Still, I confess that I miss my rubber'. It is the first Saturday night for seven-and-twenty years that I have not had my ' rubber ." "I think you will find that you will play for a higher stake to-night than you have ever done yet, and that the play will be more exciting."
    See also
    * burn rubber * dead rubber

    Etymology 3

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To eavesdrop on a telephone call
  • :
  • 1000 English basic words ----

    gum

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) gome, from (etyl) . More at yawn.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (often, in the plural) The flesh round the teeth.
  • Synonyms
    * gingiva (medical)
    Derived terms
    * gumboil * gum-didder * gum-digger * gum-digging * gum disease * gumless * gummed * gummy * gum ridge * gum-ring * gum-rubber * gum shield * gum-stake * gum-tickler * gum-tooth * gumwork

    Verb

    (gumm)
  • To chew, especially of a toothless person or animal.
  • To deepen and enlarge the spaces between the teeth of (a worn saw), as with a gummer.
  • Etymology 2

    (etyl) gomme, gumme, from (etyl) gome, from (qem?t, qemài ) 'acanthus resin'.

    Noun

  • (uncountable) Any of various viscous or sticky substances that are exuded by certain plants.
  • (uncountable) Any viscous or sticky substance resembling those that are exuded by certain plants.
  • (uncountable) Chewing gum.
  • (countable) A single piece of chewing gum.
  • Do you have a gum to spare?
  • (US, dialect, Southern US) A hive made of a section of a hollow gum tree; hence, any roughly made hive.
  • (US, dialect, Southern US) A vessel or bin made from a hollow log.
  • (US, dialect) A rubber overshoe.
  • Derived terms
    * acacia gum * accaroid gum, accroides gum * apple-gum * bee gum * begum * black gum * blue gum * box-gum * British gum * bubble gum, bubble-gum, bubblegum * carob gum * chagual gum * chewing gum * chicle gum * dammar gum * degum * doctor-gum * doctor's gum * elastic gum * free gum * gellan gum * ghatti gum * grilled gum * guar gum * gum acacia * gum acaroidea, gum accroides * gum albanum * gum ammoniac * gum anima, , gum animi * gum animal * gum arabic * gumball * gum band * gum benjamin * gum benzoin * gum bichromate * gum-boiler * gum boot, gumboot * gum-bucket * gum butea * gum camphor * gum-chewer * gum-chewing * gum cistus * gum dammar * gum-digger * gum-digging * gum dragon * gum-drop, gumdrop * gum elastic * gum elemi * gum eraser * gum eurphorbium * gum-field * gum-flowers * gum-game * gum guaiac * gum-hole * gum ivy * gum juniper * gum karaya * gum kino * gum labdanum * gum lac * gum-land * gumlands * gum-line, gumline * gummage * gummy * gum myrrh * gum myrtle * gum nut * gum of ivy * gum olibanum * gum over platinum * gum-paper * gum passage * gum plant * gum-platinum * gum pot * gum print * gum printing * gum-rash * gum resin * gum rockrose * gum sandarac * gum sangapenum * gum-seal * gum-senegal * gumshoe * gum silk * gum stick * gum-succory * gum-sucker * gum-taffeta * gum-thistle * gum thus * gum tragacanth * gum tree * gum turpentine * gum (verb) * gum water * gum wood, gumwood * gum-worker * hog gum * karaya gum * Kordofan gum * locust bean gum * log gum * manna gum * mastic gum * mountain gum * natural gum * red gum * ribbon gum * slum gum, slumgum * snow gum * sonora gum * sour gum * spotted gum * spruce gum * sterculia gum * sugar gum, sugar-gum * sweet gum, sweet gum-tree * tara gum * ungum * white gum * xanthan gum * York gum

    Verb

    (gumm)
  • (sometimes with up) To apply an adhesive or gum to; to make sticky by applying a sticky substance to.
  • * 2012 , Julie Hedgepeth Williams, A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwells' Story of Survival (ISBN 1603061169), page 184:
  • However, Albert said in his audiotape and in his speech that a lever designed to release the lifeboat's block and tackle was gummed up with red paint.
  • To stiffen with glue or gum.
  • * Shakespeare
  • He frets like a gummed velvet.
  • (colloquial, with up) To impair the functioning of a thing or process.
  • That cheap oil will gum up the engine valves.
    The new editor can gum up your article with too many commas.

    Derived terms

    * gum up * gum up the works