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gambit

noun
/ˈɡæmbɪt/US

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.

  1. derived from -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor
  2. derived from gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder

Definitions

  1. An opening in chess in which material is sacrificed to gain an advantage.

    • Her clever gambit gave her an advantage.

  2. Any ploy or stratagem.

    • Their promise to lower taxes is clearly an election-year gambit.
    • The Red Holocaust is best interpreted in this light as the bitter fruit of an^([sic]) utopian gambit that was socially misengineered into a dystopic nightmare by despots in humanitarian disguise.
    • An opening sequence, featuring a de-aged Ford playing a younger Indy, is a bold and nostalgic gambit, offering a glimpse of what you've missed.

  3. A remark intended to open a conversation.

  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. To sacrifice (a pawn or minor piece) to gain an advantage.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for gambit. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA