gamut

American  

[gam-uht] / ˈgæm ət /

noun

gamuts plural

1. the entire scale or range.

   the gamut of dramatic emotion from grief to joy.

   Synonyms:

   extent, reach, scope, breadth, sweep

2. Music.

   1. the whole series of recognized musical notes.

   2. the major scale.

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gamut British  

/ ˈgæmət /

noun

1. entire range or scale, as of emotions

2. music

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

   2. the whole range of notes

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gamuts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gamut

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: Ut queant laxis re sonare fibris. Mi ra gestorum fa muli tuorum, Sol ve polluti la bii reatum, S ancte I ohannes

Explanation

A visit with a long-lost cousin might arouse emotions that run the gamut of from joy to nostalgia to sorrow. A gamut is a full or complete range. In the 16th century, the gamut was the lowest note on the musical scale. In music as well as life, the word has expanded to mean from high to low, or the whole range. The word is often associated with "run," as in "run the gamut from totally excited to so terrified you're quaking with fear." And if you've talked about every discussion point on your agenda, you've covered the gamut of issues that need discussing.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gamut gamuts

Price targets run the gamut, and not all of them imply extreme upside potential.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026

The foods are extreme and run the gamut, from silkworm pupa to a whole goat head.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

His recordings and performances from the ’80s on moved across the gamut of the various personal stylistic expressions he had developed in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

Drugs often have more than one application, and Brandi said continuous research is needed not just for abortion and miscarriage care, but to better treat a gamut of health issues such as uterine fibroids.

From Barron's ● May 10, 2026

Persian Casual covers a wide gamut, from slightly more-formal-than-business-casual to just-shy-of-black-tie-or-full-military-dress.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

These gamuts are important if your work requires them, though if that’s the case, I’m guessing you know that.

From The Verge ● Jan. 17, 2022

He called them gamuts and likened them to a collection stones or shells he might pick up on the beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2020

It’s as though a leaf blower has blown all the gamuts pirouetting into the air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2020

Wide color gamuts let you see shades of colors that exist in real life but that earlier TVs couldn’t display.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2018

Now, all these gamuts taken together must form a scale of proportion in virtue of which they may be characterized.

From Delsarte System of Oratory by Various

Related Words

• spectrum