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gammon

1
[ gam-uh n ]
/ ˈgæm ən /
Backgammon.
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noun

the game of backgammon.
a victory in which the winner throws off all his or her pieces before the opponent throws off any.

verb (used with object)

to win a gammon over.

RELATED WORDS

pancetta, pork, groin, femur, rasher, sowbelly, ham, flank, hock, loins, fool, dupe, fleece, rook, deceive, frame, gull, hoodwink, con, flimflam

Nearby words

  1. gamma-ray burst,
  2. gammadion,
  3. gammagram,
  4. gammat,
  5. gammer,
  6. gammopathy,
  7. gammy,
  8. gamna's disease,
  9. gamna-gandy bodies,
  10. gamo-

Origin of gammon

1
1720–30; perhaps special use of Middle English gamen game1

gammon

2
[ gam-uh n ]
/ ˈgæm ən /

noun

a smoked or cured ham.
the lower end of a side of bacon.

Origin of gammon

2
1480–90; < Old French gambon ham (French jambon), derivative of gambe; see jamb1

gammon

3
[ gam-uh n ]
/ ˈgæm ən /
British Informal.

noun

deceitful nonsense; bosh.

verb (used without object)

to talk gammon.
to make pretense.

verb (used with object)

to humbug.

Origin of gammon

3
First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps special use of gammon1
Related formsgam·mon·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gammon

British Dictionary definitions for gammon

gammon

1
/ (ˈɡæmən) /

noun

a cured or smoked ham
the hindquarter of a side of bacon, cooked either whole or cut into large rashers

Word Origin for gammon

C15: from Old Northern French gambon, from gambe leg; see gambrel

noun

a double victory in backgammon in which one player throws off all his pieces before his opponent throws any
archaic the game of backgammon

verb

(tr) to score a gammon over

Word Origin for gammon

C18: probably special use of Middle English gamen game 1

noun

deceitful nonsense; humbug

verb

to deceive (a person)
Derived Formsgammoner, noun

Word Origin for gammon

C18: perhaps special use of gammon ²

verb

(tr) nautical to fix (a bowsprit) to the stemhead of a vessel

Word Origin for gammon

C18: perhaps related to gammon 1, with reference to the tying up of a ham
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
Word Origin and History for gammon

gammon

n.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper