German

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Etymology

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kauen (to chew) +‎ Gummi (gum, rubber)

Pronunciation

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  • Audio:(file)

Noun

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Kaugummi (northern and western Germany) n (strong, genitive Kaugummis, plural Kaugummis) or
Kaugummi (southern and eastern Germany, Austria, Switzerland) m (strong, genitive Kaugummis, plural Kaugummi)

  1. chewing gum
    • 1930, “act 2, scene 3”, in Bertolt Brecht (lyrics), Kurt Weil (music), Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny:
      Spucke den Kaugummi aus, / wasche zuerst deine Hände, / lasse ihr Zeit und sprich ein paar Worte mit ihr.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  2. piece of chewing gum

Usage notes

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  • The neuter gender predominates in northwest and middle-west Germany, while the masculine gender predominates in the southern language area. Elsewhere, the neuter gender is normally used for the material, and the masculine gender for the object.

Declension

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Further reading

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  • Kaugummi” in Duden online
  • Kaugummi” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache