Etymology

gamble

gam·ble
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Today it means: A bet or wager. Full definition →

Middle English *gamlen ← Old English gæmnian
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gamble · noun, verb1

  1. Old English · derived fromgæmnian
  2. Middle English · derived fromgamenen
  3. Middle English · inherited from*gamlen
  4. English todaygamble

From earlier gamel, from Middle English *gamlen, *gamelen, variant of Middle English gamenen, from Old English gæmnian, gamnian, gamenian (“to joke; play”), related to Old English gamen (“joy; mirth; pleasure; entertainment; pastime; sport; game”), equivalent to game + -le. Compare Old Danish gammel, Middle High German gamel (“pleasure; fun”). More at game.

Gamble · proper noun2

From the Old Norse byname gamall (“old”), which was occasionally used in North England during the Middle Ages as a personal name.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.