Gamut: Word A Day

DavidTODavidTO Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 19,160 Major grins
edited June 1, 2005 in The Big Picture
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Today's word: Gamut.

gamut (GAM-uht) noun

The complete range of something.

[From Medieval Latin, contraction of gamma ut, from gamma (third letter
of the Greek alphabet), used to represent the lowest tone + ut, from the
names of the notes ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si (ut and si later changed
to do and ti). Gamma + ut contracted to gamut and the meaning expanded
to denote all notes. The names ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si are derived
from the initial syllables of a Latin hymn.]


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