gamble English · revision 39656

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=derivation|attested=1753, Essay on Deism|origins=ang gamen}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈɡæm.bəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is probably [[af|en|game|-le]], formed in English on either the verb or the noun ''game'';^(OED 2026)^(Ayto 2005)^(ODE 2010) the ending may be the frequentative suffix, or the word may reflect a form of ''game'' with a short vowel, and the ''-b-'' is a later intrusive consonant.^(OED 2026) Etymonline and Hoad take it from [[m|en|gamel|t=to play games]], recorded in the 16th century,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Ayto 2005) itself an alteration of [[m|enm|gamenen|t=to play, jest, be merry]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Barnhart 1988) which continues [[ang|gamenian|t=to play, joke]], from [[m|ang|gamen|t=game, fun]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2024)^(Skeat 1911) Merriam-Webster thinks the verb is probably a back-formation from [[gambler]],^(MWU 2024) and the OED and Barnhart note that [[gambling]] (1726) and [[m|en|gambler|alt=gambler]] (1747) are recorded before the verb, so that either derivation is possible.^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988) Etymonline and Barnhart suggest that the ''-b-'' comes from confusion with the unrelated [[gambol]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and Weekley also thought ''gambol'' had a part in the form.^(Weekley 1921) The OED compares dialect [[m|en|gammle|t=to gamble]] in Yorkshire and Ulster, and [[m|en|gamel|alt=gamel]] in 19th-century Northumberland.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To strip someone of something, especially money, by gambling, with ''out of'': 1753, in an ''Essay on Deism''; this sense is now rare.^(OED 2026) The participle ''gambling'', playing for high stakes, is recorded from 1726.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word was at first regarded as slang,^(Etymonline) and Weekley notes that in the 18th century it carried a sense of cheating.^(Weekley 1921) The ordinary intransitive sense, to play games of chance for money or to bet on an event, is recorded from 1757,^(OED 2026)^(HTOED) the date Merriam-Webster also gives.^(MWU 2024) From the start of the 19th century it was used of risk-taking in general: to take reckless risks from 1802 and to stake something on an uncertain outcome, ''gamble on'', from 1804.^(OED 2026) The transitive sense, to squander money by gambling, usually ''gamble away'', is recorded from 1764,^(OED 2026) though Etymonline dates it to 1808.^(Etymonline) The noun followed the verb: a risky venture from 1823, in William Cobbett's ''Rural Rides'',^(OED 2026)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) a bout of gambling from 1785, and a single bet from 1883.^(OED 2026) Colloquial assurances such as ''you can gamble on that'' are recorded from 1862.^(OED 2026) In Yorkshire dialect ''gammle'' meant to toss a coin in gambling, and in southern Nottinghamshire ''gamble'' meant to deceive or play a trick on someone.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1726 – ''gambling'', playing for high stakes.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1747 – ''gambler''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1753 – to strip someone of money by gambling.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1757 – to play games of chance for money.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1764 – to lose or squander by gambling.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1785 – noun, a bout of gambling.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1802 – to take reckless risks.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1823 – noun, a risky venture.^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1883 – noun, a bet.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1919 – to take a chance that something will turn out as hoped.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To play [[game of chance|alt=games of chance]] for money or other [[stake|alt=stakes]]; to [[bet]] on the outcome of a race, match or other event.^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To risk money or something else of value on an uncertain result: ''They gambled their savings on the new shop.''^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # To take a risk in the hope of success, often with ''on'': ''The organisers gambled on a dry weekend.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)

+ # To lose money or property by gambling, usually ''gamble away''; to [[squander]].^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A risky act, venture or course of action undertaken in the hope of success.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # A [[wager]] or bet; a spell of gambling.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[gambler]]

+ * [[outgamble]]

+ * [[overgamble]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[game]]

+ * [[gambol]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A separate word ''gamble'', a variant of [[gambrel]], has meant the hock of a horse since 1703, and a butcher's frame for hanging carcasses, also called a ''gamble stick'', since 1831.^(OED 2026)^(SOED 2002) It is now regional and rare.^(OED 2026) Dictionary.com lists ''gamble'' and ''gambol'' among words that are easily confused.^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}