Gamba

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of stringed musical instrument resembling a viola da gamba with frets and a curved body
2. Referring to a family of instruments used during the Renaissance, typically played with a bow and used in ensemble music
3. Describing a variety of instruments popular in the late Renaissance and Baroque periods, featuring a distinctive shape and sound qualities

Etymology: The name comes from the Italian for "leg," and the instrument is named for how it is held. "Viola da gamba" means "viol for the leg," distinguishing it from the "viola da braccio," or "viol for the arm," the family of instruments that gave rise to the violin. The "gamba" in the shorter form is the bare Italian word for leg, which is ultimately the same word that gave English "jamb" and "jambe," the vertical side of a doorway or the leg-armour piece of a suit of armour. The fuller story is that the instrument was played held upright between the player's knees, rather than tucked under the chin as the violin is, so the leg gave it its name. This is also why English speakers now usually say "viol da gamba" or simply "viol," with the shorter form "gamba" used by musicians as a standalone name.

Synonyms: string instrument, bass, viola, cello, viol