Etymograph

English

gam

Gam comes from Italian gamba ‘leg’, from Late Latin gamba ‘(of animals) hock, shank’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- ‘to bend, curve’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂em-1‘to bend, curve’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂emp-1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kampā́1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαμπή2kampḗ‘fixture, bend, winding’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEgamba3‘(of animals) hock, shank’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentgamba4‘leg’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2010gam4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek καμπή
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin gamba
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Italian gamba
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English gam
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2010, Home Swell Home: Designing Your Dream Pa: “Make the salesclerk blush by flashing some gam and…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂em-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek καμπή‘to bend, curve’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂emp-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek καμπήreconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kampā́Wiktionary, Ancient Greek καμπήreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαμπήWiktionary, Latin gambakampḗ‘fixture, bend, winding’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEgambaWiktionary, Italian gamba‘(of animals) hock, shank’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentgambaWiktionary, English gam‘leg’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2010gamWiktionary, English gam. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2010, Home Swell Home: Designing Your Dream Pa: “Make the salesclerk blush by flashing some gam and…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- ‘to bend, curve’

campaign, camera, champion, chamber, campus, chimney, kemp, cabaret, champaign, camaraderie, skimp, kam, cantonment, camber, campanile, chambray, campagna, 19 more

through Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp-

camp, champagne, 18 more

through Late Latin gamba ‘(of animals) hock, shank’

jamb, 7 more

through Italian gamba ‘leg’

gambit, gamba, 1 more

Today it means

noun A person's leg, especially an attractive woman's leg.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “gam”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek καμπή, Latin gamba, Italian gamba. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- / gam

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