gamba

noun

gam·​ba ˈgäm-bə How to pronounce gamba (audio) ˈgam- How to pronounce gamba (audio)
: viola da gamba

Examples of gamba in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From a distance, a gamba looks a bit like a cello, but with sloping, rather than rounded, shoulders and a wider fingerboard under six or seven strings (versus the cello’s four). — Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2021 Galitzine had to learn everything from how to convincingly speak French to how to play the viola de gamba, a stringed Renaissance instrument. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024 His orchestra of 25 players included a dozen strings, pairs of recorders and cornets, harp, dulcian (bassoon) and gamba, with two harpsichords and four chitarrone again anchoring the continuo group. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 16 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

by shortening

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gamba was in 1612

Phrases Containing gamba

Rhymes for gamba

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Browse Nearby Words

gamb
gamba
Gamba bass
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Cite this Entry

“Gamba.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamba. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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