gamy

or gam·ey

[ gey-mee ]

See synonyms for gamy on Thesaurus.com

adjective,gam·i·er, gam·i·est.

having the tangy flavor or odor of game: I like the gamy taste of venison.
having the flavor or odor of game or other meat kept uncooked until slightly tainted: The roast was still edible but was slightly gamy.

plucky; spirited.
lewd or suggestive; risqué.
gross or squalid; unwholesome.

Origin of gamy

First recorded in 1835–45; game¹ + -y¹

Other words from gamy

gam·i·ly, adverb
un·gam·y, adjective

Other definitions for -gamy (2 of 2)

-gamy

a combining form with the meanings “marriage,” “union,” “fertilization, pollination,” of the kind specified by the initial element: exogamy; plastogamy; allogamy; also forming nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -gamous: heterogamy.

Origin of -gamy

Combining form representing Greek -gamía “act of marrying”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gamy in a sentence

A few seconds later he landed a delicately spotted, gamy fish about eight inches long, which he recognized as a grayling.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail | Arthur R. Thompson
Will the little ogre pass without repugnance from the gamy flavour of a carcase to the scent of flowers?
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri Fabre
The mountain quails are the largest and most beautiful of all the American quails, though the least hunted and the least gamy.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom Payne
Like all of the family it is a gamy fish, and affords good sport to the angler.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom Payne
This species fights altogether on the surface, but lacks the sterling gamy qualities of the tuna.
Game Birds and Game Fishes of the Pacific Coast | Harry Thom Payne

British Dictionary definitions for -gamy

-gamy

n combining form

denoting marriage or sexual union: bigamy

Origin of -gamy

from Greek -gamia, from gamos marriage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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