Crossword clues for chicle
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Balata \Bal"a*ta\, n. [Sp., prob. fr. native name.]
A West Indian sapotaceous tree ( Bumelia retusa).
The bully tree ( Minusops globosa); also, its milky juice ( ); also, its milky juice (), which when dried constitutes an elastic gum called chicle, or chicle gum.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1889, American English (in chicle-gum), from Mexican Spanish chicle, from Nahuatl (Aztecan) tzictli.
Wiktionary
n. The milky latex of the sapodilla tree, used after coagulation as the principal ingredient of chewing gum
WordNet
n. gum-like substance from the sapodilla [syn: chicle gum]
Wikipedia
Chicle is a natural gum traditionally used in making chewing gum and other products. It is collected from several species of Mesoamerican trees in the Manilkara genus, including M. zapota, M. chicle, M. staminodella, and M. bidentata.
The tapping of the gum is similar to the tapping of latex from the rubber tree: zig-zag gashes are made in the tree trunk and the dripping gum is collected in small bags. It is then boiled until it reaches the correct thickness. Locals who collect chicle are called chicleros.
Usage examples of "chicle".
Until 1975 chicle for chewing gum provided 25% of the Belize Gross Domestic Product.
The sap of the chicle tree was gathered and boiled down much like natural rubber (or for that matter, maple syrup).