ˈɡæmət n. 1
the whole series or
range or scope of
anything (the whole gamut of crime). 2 Mus. a the whole series of notes used in
medieval or
modern music. b a
major diatonic scale. c a people's or a period's recognized scale. d a voice's or instrument's
compass. 3 Mus. the lowest
note in the medieval
sequence of hexachords, = modern G on the lowest line of the bass staff. [med.L
gamma ut f. GAMMA taken as the
name for a note
one tone lower
than A of the
classical scale + ut the
first of
six arbitrary names of notes forming the
hexachord,
being syllables (ut,
re,
mi,
fa, so, la) of the
Latin hymn beginning Ut queant laxis)]