gambit

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈɡæmbɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #23115

Meanings

1

noun
A clever plan or action used to gain an advantage, often involving some risk.

Their promise to lower taxes was clearly an election-year gambit.
2

noun
An opening in chess in which a player gives up a piece to gain a better position.

Her clever gambit sacrificed a pawn but gave her control of the centre.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a clever plan or action... ploy stratagem

Word family

Forms gambits

Derived forms countergambit

Simplified etymology

Gambit entered English in the mid-16th century through French from an Italian term meaning “a tripping up.” It belongs to the same Romance word family as gammon and gambol, associated historically with the leg or a joint.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *kh₂empeh₂ Proto-Hellenic *kampā́ Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ)bor. Late Latin gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor. English gambit Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656.

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# gambit

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡæmbɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 23115

## Meanings
1. A clever plan or action used to gain an advantage, often involving some risk.
2. An opening in chess in which a player gives up a piece to gain a better position.

## Examples
- Their promise to lower taxes was clearly an election-year gambit.
- Her clever gambit sacrificed a pawn but gave her control of the centre.

## Derived Forms
- countergambit

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *kh₂empeh₂ Proto-Hellenic *kampā́ Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ)bor. Late Latin gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor. English gambit Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656.

## AI Etymology
Gambit is recorded in late Latin gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor. English gambit Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656. The historical chain records Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em-, Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp-, Proto-Indo-European *-h₂, Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂, Proto-Indo-European *kh₂empeh₂, Proto-Hellenic *kampā́, and Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include a clever plan or action used to gain an advantage, often involving some risk and an opening in chess in which a player gives up a piece to gain a better position. The wider family includes derived forms such as countergambit.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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