noun
- Plural of chicle; a gum-like substance obtained from the sapwood of the sapodilla tree, used as the main ingredient in chewing gum.
Usage: Usually used in plural form or as a mass noun; Primarily of historical or technical interest; modern chewing gum often uses synthetic alternatives
Examples
- Chicles were harvested from trees in Central America and Mexico for centuries.
- The candy company imported chicles to manufacture their premium chewing gum.
- Traditional chewing gum relied on natural chicles as its primary ingredient.
- Workers tapped sapodilla trees to collect the chicles used in gum production.
- Modern manufacturers have largely replaced natural chicles with synthetic polymers.