Gamut
[GAM-ət]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Middle English, 15th century
1.
The complete range or scope of something.
2.
A complete scale of musical notes; the range of a voice or instrument.
Examples of Gamut in a sentence
"The university offered online courses across the gamut of departments."
"It seems like toddlers can express the whole gamut of human emotions in one afternoon."
About Gamut
While the term is still in use to describe the complete range of a voice or instrument, gamut has expanded beyond the musical world. Now the word describes the complete scope of something. You’ll likely hear it expressed as “the gamut,” or “run the gamut.”
Did you Know?
Gamut was originally a musical term. In Latin, “gamma ut” was the name of the lowest note in the medieval scale (bass G an octave and a half below middle C). Gamut was then applied to the whole range of notes used in medieval music.
