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gamut

Etymology and origin of the English word gamut

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɡæm.ət/, /ˈɡæm.ɪt/[1]

Etymology

It is a contraction of Medieval Latin gamma ut,[2][3][4][5] from gamma, the Greek letter used for the lowest note of the medieval scale, and ut, the first note of the six-note scale.[2][3][5] The syllables ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la were taken from a Latin hymn to St John the Baptist, Ut queant laxis resonare fibris…, whose lines begin on successive notes.[2][6][5] Ut was later replaced by do.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The lowest note of the medieval scale, low G (before 1450; 1530 in the OED).[4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The name of the lowest note was extended to the whole Great Scale, credited to Guido d'Arezzo (before 1529),[7][5] and later to the whole series of recognized notes (1709) and the full range of a voice or instrument (1639).[7] The figurative sense “the whole range of something” is first recorded in 1626,[7][4] and is now the main one.[2][3]

Timeline

  • before 1450 – the lowest note of the medieval scale.[4]
  • before 1529 – the Great Scale of medieval music.[7]
  • 1626 – figurative, the whole range of something.[7][4]
  • 1639 – the full compass of a voice or instrument.[7]
  • 1709 – the whole series of recognized notes.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The complete range or extent of something.
  2. (music) The whole series of recognized notes.
  • ut
  • gamma
  • solfège

Usage notes

Random House lists sweep, breadth, scope, reach, extent and field as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Gamut.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gamut. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·