gammy
/ˈɡæmi/ adjective, noun
Forms gammier gammiest gammies gammie
- adjective Injured, or not functioning properly (with respect to legs). “I have got a gammy leg, and can't walk far.”
- adjective (slang, obsolete) Fake; counterfeit.
- adjective (slang, obsolete) Bad; unfavourable.
- noun (colloquial) Grandmother. “Had our beloved gammy lost it?”
Synonyms
Etymology
Origin obscure and uncertain. Possibly from the English dialectal (North Midlands) adjective game (“lame”), Welsh cam (“crooked”), or from Irish cam (“bent”), by way of Shelta. Compare also Old Occitan gambi (“lame, limping”), related to Old Occitan gamba (“leg”) (see also French jambe (“leg”), English gam (“leg”)).
Abbreviation + -y.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “gammy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details