gammon

gammon · noun, verb¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκαμπή
2. Late Latin · derived fromgamba
3. Old French · derived fromgambon
4. Middle English · inherited from*gammon
5. English todaygammon

From Middle English *gammon, gambon, from Old French gambon (compare modern French jambon (“ham”)), from gambe (“leg”), from Late Latin gamba, from Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ). Doublet of jambon and jamon.

gammon · verb, noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*gamanōną“to play, have fun, joke”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*gamanōn
3. Old English · inherited fromgamnian
4. Middle English · inherited fromgamenen
5. English todaygammon

From Middle English gamenen, gamene, from Old English gamnian, gæmnian, gamenian (“to joke, play”), from Proto-West Germanic *gamanōn, from Proto-Germanic *gamanōną (“to play, have fun, joke”). Cognate with Middle High German gamenen (“to mock, make fun of”), Icelandic gamna (“to have fun”). More at game.

gammon · noun, verb³

Perhaps related to the first etymology, with reference to tying up a ham.

gammon · noun, verb, adjective⁴

Perhaps a special use of the word from etymology 2.

gammon · noun⁵

Gained popularity in 2017 (in the phrase "Great Wall of Gammon", likening the referents' rosy complexions to gammon (“ham, bacon”)), although the metaphor was in use earlier: the BBC points to a 2016 use of “gammon face”.

Words from the same roots