gamb

English

The canting arms of Gambon on the viewer's right.

Alternative forms

• gambe

Etymology

From Middle French gambe (variant of jambe) from Late Latin gamba (hoof, leg, shank). Doublet of jamb, gamba, and gam.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡamb/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɡæmb/
• Rhymes: -æmb

Noun

gamb (plural gambs)

1. (heraldry) The leg or shank, typically of an animal, especially of a lion, on a coat of arms, crest, etc.
   • 1817, Alexander Deuchar, British Crests: containing the crests and mottos of the families of Great Britain and Ireland; together with those of the principal cities; and a glossary of heraldic terms ... Embellished with nearly fourteen hundred crests, engraved by Robert Kirkwood, from original drawings, by G. Sanders, and J. Grant, page 284:

     Vachell, Eng. a bull's gamb in pale, couped, argent. […] Vaughan of Littleton, Middlesex, a lion's gamb, or, holding a human heart, gules.

Usage notes

• Compare jambe, which can refer to a human or animal leg, the former especially if in armor.

Related terms

• See related terms of gamba

Further reading

• “gamb, n.”, in Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, 2013 March, retrieved December 2018
• “gamb”, in Merriam Webster, 2018 December (last accessed)