To handle clumsily or carelessly; to grab or maul something roughly without gentleness.
From Middle English and dialectal English, possibly from Old Norse 'gaumr' meaning carelessness or neglect. The word carries a sense of rough, uncoordinated handling.
Regional dialects preserve old words that standard English has forgotten—'gaum' is still used in northern English and Scottish speech to describe the clumsy way someone handles something, a word that's survived centuries in hidden linguistic pockets.
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