gambit en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈɡæmbɪt/ (General-American)
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *kh₂empeh₂ Proto-Hellenic *kampā́ Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ)bor. Late Latin gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor. English gambit Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656.
Meanings
-
An opening in chess in which material is sacrificed to gain an advantage.
Her clever gambit gave her an advantage.
-
Any ploy or stratagem.
An opening sequence, featuring a de-aged Ford playing a younger Indy, is a bold and nostalgic gambit, offering a glimpse of what you've missed.
2023 June 29, City AM, London, page 18, column 2:Their promise to lower taxes is clearly an election-year gambit.
The Red Holocaust is best interpreted in this light as the bitter fruit of an^([sic]) utopian gambit that was socially misengineered into a dystopic nightmare by despots in humanitarian disguise.
2009, Steven Rosefielde, Red Holocaust, page 240:
- A remark intended to open a conversation.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| gambits | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| gambett | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Xanatos gambit · countergambit · Queen's Gambit · Queen's Gambit Declined · Kings's Gambit · Stafford gambit · Ultimate Boeing 747 gambit · Evans Gambit · Botez gambit · Stafford Gambit · Galileo gambit · Tennison Gambit
Descendants
Translations (41)
fi gambiitti (chess move) · hu vezércsel (chess move) · haw gamabita (chess move) · de Gambit (chess move) · ar جَامْبِت (chess move) · pl gambit (chess move) · kk гамбит (chess move) · fi taktiikka (ploy) · ru гамби́т (chess move) · fi avaus (conversation opener) · ja ギャンビット (chess move) · es estratagema (ploy) · fa گامبی (chess move) · ky гамбит (chess move) · fr stratagème (ploy) · da gambit (chess move) · eo gambito (chess move) · es tema (conversation opener) · lb gambit (chess move) · ru уло́вка (ploy) · cmn 棄兵開局 /弃兵开局 (chess move) · pt jogada (ploy) · pt gambito (chess move) · ka გამბიტი (chess move) · pt estratagema (ploy) · it gambetto (chess move) · ru гамби́т (ploy) · ca gambit (chess move) · fr gambit (chess move) · sk gambit (chess move) · es gambito (chess move) · nl gambiet (chess move) · ar غَامْبِت (chess move) · fi juoni (ploy) · fi keskustelunavaus (conversation opener) · pl gambit (ploy) · nb gambit (chess move) · et gambiit (chess move) · cs gambit (chess move) · ta பலியாட்டம் (chess move) · mk гамбит (chess move)