gamut

[ gam-uht ]
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noun
  1. the entire scale or range: the gamut of dramatic emotion from grief to joy.

  2. Music.

    • the whole series of recognized musical notes.

Origin of gamut

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin; contraction of gamma ut, equivalent to gamma, used to represent the first or lowest tone (G) in the medieval scale + ut (later do ); the notes of the scale (ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si) being named from a Latin hymn to St. John the Baptist: Utqueant laxis resonare fibris. Mira gestorum famuli tuorum, Solve polluti labii reatum, Sancte Iohannes

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British Dictionary definitions for gamut

gamut

/ (ˈgæmət) /


noun
  1. entire range or scale, as of emotions

  2. music

    • a scale, esp (in medieval theory) one starting on the G on the bottom line of the bass staff

    • the whole range of notes

  1. physics the range of chromaticities that can be obtained by mixing three colours

Origin of gamut

1
C15: from Medieval Latin, changed from gamma ut, from gamma, the lowest note of the hexachord as established by Guido d'Arezzo + ut (now, doh), the first of the notes of the scale ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, derived from a Latin hymn to St John: Ut queant laxis re sonare fibris, Mi ra gestorum fa muli tuorum, Sol ve polluti la bi reatum, S ancte I ohannes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012