-gamy

¹

1. 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.

gamy

²

Or gam·ey

[gey-mee]

adjective

gamier, gamiest 

1. having the tangy flavor or odor of game.

   I like the gamy taste of venison.

2. having the flavor or odor of game or other meat kept uncooked until slightly tainted.

   The roast was still edible but was slightly gamy.

3. plucky; spirited.

4. lewd or suggestive; risqué.

5. gross or squalid; unwholesome.

-gamy

combining form

1. denoting marriage or sexual union

   bigamy

Other Word Forms

• gamily adverb
• ungamy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of -gamy¹

Combining form representing Greek -gamía “act of marrying”

Origin of -gamy²

First recorded in 1835–45; game ¹ + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of -gamy¹

from Greek -gamia, from gamos marriage

Example Sentences

Plus, the horror has a purpose, beyond gamy genre thrills.

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Instead, you get a harmonious porky bite with gamy undertones from the confit rabbit, beef tongue, duck wing meat and offal.

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Rabbit has a delectable, earthy, meaty taste that isn’t gamy.

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The story of a good-looking blond buck from Texas fired with simpleminded dreams of making it as a stud hustler in Manhattan could easily have become another of the gamy sexual permutations which the screen is so earnestly examining for us these days.

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Meat offers up a sinewy, gamy, savory experience that is, to date, impossible to reproduce.

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When To Use

What does -gamy mean?

The combining form -gamy is used like a suffix with a variety of meanings. In terms from botany, it typically means "fertilization, pollination.“ In other contexts, -gamy is used to mean "marriage" or "union."The form -gamy is also used to form nouns related to terms ending in -gamous. It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology.The form -gamy comes from Greek -gamía, meaning “act of marrying.”What are variants of -gamy?While -gamy doesn't have any variants, it is related to the form -gamous, as in cleistogamous. Additional combining forms of the same general origin include gamet-, gameto-, and gamo-. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for the forms.