- the bottom end of a side of bacon
- a smoked or cured ham or side of bacon
Origin of gammon
Middle English gambon from Norman French from dialect, dialectal French gambe: see gambgammon
gam·monBackgammon a victory in which the winner gets rid of all pieces before his or her opponent gets rid of any
Origin of gammon
Middle English gammen, variant, variety of game, gamen: see game to defeat by scoring a gammon
to secure (the bowsprit) to the stem of a vessel
Origin of gammon
from gammon, a lashing up from uncertain or unknown; perhaps nonsense intended to deceive; humbug
Origin of gammon
probably origin, originally thieves' cant from uncertain or unknown; perhaps- to talk humbug (to)
- to deceive or mislead
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"gammon." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/gammon>.
APA Style
gammon. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gammon
gammon
noun
A victory in backgammon reached before the loser has succeeded in removing a single piece.
transitive verb
gam·moned, gam·mon·ing, gam·monsTo defeat in backgammon by scoring a gammon.
Origin of gammon
Probably from Middle English gamen, gammen game from Old English gamenChiefly British
noun
- Misleading or nonsensical talk; humbug.
- Gammon See Shelta.
verb
gam·moned, gam·mon·ing, gam·monsverb
transitiveTo deceive or mislead: “[He] gammoned a countryman out of a good round sum of money” ( Charles Dickens )
verb
intransitiveTo talk misleadingly or deceptively.
Origin of gammon
Origin unknownRelated Forms:
- gam′mon·er
noun
noun
- A cured or smoked ham.
- The lower part of a side of bacon.
Origin of gammon
Middle English gambon from Old North French from gambe leg from Late Latin gamba hoof ; see gambol .transitive verb
gam·moned, gam·mon·ing, gam·monsTo fasten (a bowsprit) to the stem of a ship.
Origin of gammon
Origin unknownTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"gammon." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/gammon>.
APA Style
gammon. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gammon
Verb
(third-person singular simple present gammons, present participle gammoning, simple past and past participle gammoned)
- To cure bacon by salting.
Origin
From Old French gambon (compare modern French jambon (“ham”)), from gambe, from Late Latin *gamba.
Noun
(plural gammons)
Verb
(third-person singular simple present gammons, present participle gammoning, simple past and past participle gammoned)
- (backgammon) To beat by a gammon (without the opponent taking a stone).
Origin
Probably a special use of Middle English gamen (“game”).
Noun
(plural gammons)
Verb
(third-person singular simple present gammons, present participle gammoning, simple past and past participle gammoned)
- To lash with ropes (on a ship).
Origin
Perhaps related to the first etymology, with reference to tying up a ham.
Noun
(plural gammons)
- (dated) Chatter, ridiculous nonsense.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present gammons, present participle gammoning, simple past and past participle gammoned)
- (colloquial, dated) To deceive, to lie plausibly.
Origin
Perhaps a special use of the word from etymology 2.
Usage notes
- The term Gammon is most widely used by its native speakers in Ireland, but is known to the linguistic community as Shelta. Cant, or the Cant, is used by non-native speakers.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"gammon." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/gammon>.
APA Style
gammon. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/gammon
