blue gum

See also: bluegum

English

A blue gum

Wikispecies

Alternative forms

Etymology

  • blue + gum
  • (person of sub-Saharan African origin): Referring to the blue coloring around their gumline.

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Noun

blue gum (plural blue gums)

  1. Any of various eucalyptus trees having blueish leaves, especially Eucalyptus globulus. [from 19th c.]
    • 1999, JM Coetzee, Disgrace, Vintage, published 2000, page 61:
      Now there are five, solidly built, with concrete bases, galvanized poles and struts, and heavy-gauge mesh, shaded by young bluegum trees.
    • 2007, Craig Silvey, Jasper Jones, Allen & Unwin, published 2007, page 95:
      I am hoping, maybe because I am roasting out here, that it is to accommodate some breed of shady tree. Like a bluegum or a paperbark.
  2. (slang, offensive) A person of sub-Saharan African origin.

Derived terms

Translations

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