gambit
noun
- chess opening in which a player sacrifices material with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɡæmbɪt/
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *kh₂empeh₂ Proto-Hellenic *kampā́ Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ)bor. Late Latin gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor. English gambit Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656.
- An opening in chess in which material is sacrificed to gain an advantage.
“Her clever gambit gave her an advantage.”
- Any ploy or stratagem.
“Their promise to lower taxes is clearly an election-year gambit.”
“The Red Holocaust is best interpreted in this light as the bitter fruit of an^([sic]) utopian gambit that was socially misengineered into a dystopic nightmare by despots in humanitarian disguise.”
- A remark intended to open a conversation.
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- Proto-Indo-European *kh₂emp- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *kh₂empeh₂ Proto-Hellenic *kampā́ Ancient Greek καμπή (kampḗ)bor. Late Latin gamba Italian gamba Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Late Latin -ittus Italian -etto Italian gambettobor. English gambit Borrowed from Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from gamba (“leg”) + -etto (diminutive suffix). First attested in 1656.
- To sacrifice (a pawn or minor piece) to gain an advantage.