Etymology
Advertisement

gambol (n.)

"frolic, merrymaking," 1590s, earlier gambolde "a skipping, a leap or spring" (1510s), from French gambade (15c.), from Late Latin gamba "horse's hock or leg," from Greek kampē "a bending" (on notion of "a joint"); see campus. Ending altered perhaps by confusion with formerly common ending -aud, -ald (as in ribald).

gambol (v.)

"skip about in sport," 1580s; earlier gambade (c. 1500), from French gambader, from gambade (see gambol (n.)). Compare Middle English gambon "a ham" (see gammon); English dialectal gammerel "small of the leg;" gamble "a leg." Related: Gamboled; gamboling; gambolling.

Entries linking to gambol

gammon (n.)

"ham or haunch of a swine," especially when smoked and cured, early 15c., gambon, from Old North French gambon "ham" (Old French jambon, 13c.), from gambe (Old French jambe) "leg," from Late Latin gamba "leg of an animal" (see gambol (n.)).

campus (n.)

"college grounds," 1774, from Latin campus "flat land, field," from Proto-Italic *kampo- "field," a word of uncertain origin. De Vaan finds cognates in Greek kampē "a bending, bow, curvature;" Lithuanian kampas "corner," kumpti "to bend," kumpas "curved;" Gothic hamfs "mutilated, lame," Old High German hamf, and concludes the source "could well be a European substratum word from agricultural terminology." First used in college sense at Princeton.

updated on January 15, 2022

Advertisement
Advertisement

Dictionary entries near gambol

gambit

gamble

gambler

gambling

gamboge

gambol

gambrel

game

game-cock

gamekeeper

gamelan

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper