Gamb
/ɡæmb/noun
A leg, especially the leg of an animal as represented in heraldry.
Did you know?In heraldry, a gamb usually depicts an animal’s leg—often with claws—making a severed limb an official visual emblem rather than merely gore.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
gamba
“The hock or leg of an animal”
Old French
Old French
gambe
“Leg”
Middle English
English
gambe
“A leg, especially an animal’s leg”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
gamb
“A leg or animal leg, especially in heraldic description”
Modern English
English
gamb
“An animal’s leg represented in heraldry”