Game

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɡeɪm/

Definitions

1. A competitive activity or sport with rules where players try to win, or wild animals hunted for food
2. A structured form of play or sport involving rules, where competitors strive for victory, or a situation where one engages in playful or competitive activities
3. An organized form of entertainment that includes competitive play within defined rules, or refers to the concept of hunting animals for sport or food

Etymology: Old English "gamen" meant joy, merriment or pastime long before it meant a contest with rules. Its ancestor, Proto-Germanic "gamaną," carried the sense of amusement and pleasure, and scholars trace it to a compound of a collective prefix "ga-" and a root meaning "man," so the original idea is something like people coming together in shared enjoyment. The word's Germanic relatives still preserve that cheerful core: Old Frisian "game" meant joy and entertainment, Swedish "gamman" means mirth and rejoicing, and Icelandic and Norwegian "gaman" mean fun. Its family tree also shows some surprising cousins. Dutch "gemelijk," meaning cantankerous or crabby, is a distant relative, and English "gamble" and "gammon" are related too. The link suggests that the same ancient root produced words for risky play, for jesting, and for ill temper.

Synonyms: match, contest, competition, play, sport

Antonyms: loss, defeat, failure, draw, tie