gam
1[ gam ]
/ gæm /
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noun Slang.
a person's leg, especially an attractive female leg.
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Origin of gam
11775–85; probably <Polari <Italian gamba leg; see jamb1
Other definitions for gam (2 of 2)
gam2
[ gam ]
/ gæm /
noun
a herd or school of whales.
Eastern New England, Nautical. a social meeting, visit, or the like, as between whaling vessels at sea.
verb (used without object), gammed, gam·ming.
(of whales) to assemble into a herd or school.
Nautical. (of the officers and crews of two whaling vessels) to visit or converse with one another for social purposes.
Eastern New England. to participate in a gam or social visit.
Origin of gam
2An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; perhaps dialectal variant of game1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use gam in a sentence
As soon as we came near enough, "gamming" commenced, for all of us were anxious to know how each other had fared.
The Cruise of the Cachalot|Frank T. BullenThere is another little item about Gamming which must not be forgotten here.
Moby Dick; or The Whale|Herman Melville
British Dictionary definitions for gam (1 of 2)
gam1
/ (ɡæm) /
noun
a school of whales
nautical an informal visit between crew members of whalers
NZ a flock of large sea birds
verb gams, gamming or gammed
(intr) (of whales) to form a school
nautical (of members of the crews of whalers) to visit (each other) informally
(tr) US to visit or exchange visits with
Word Origin for gam
C19: perhaps dialect variant of game 1
British Dictionary definitions for gam (2 of 2)
gam2
/ (ɡæm) /
noun
slang a leg, esp a woman's shapely leg
Word Origin for gam
C18: probably from Old Northern French gambe or Lingua Franca gambe; see jamb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for gam
gam-
pref.
Variant ofgamo-
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.