blue gum

See also: bluegum

English

A blue gum

Wikispecies

Alternative forms

• bluegum

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (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

• Gippsland blue gum
• inland blue gum
• large-fruited blue gum
• mountain blue gum
• round-leaved blue gum
• South Australian blue gum
• southern blue gum
• spotted blue gum
• Sydney blue gum
• Tasmanian blue gum
• Victorian blue gum

Translations

any of various eucalyptus trees

• Catalan: febrer (ca) m
• Kikuyu: mũbaũ class 3