1. the complete range or scope of something: "the whole gamut of human emotion"
2. a complete scale of musical notes; the compass or range of a voice or instrument: "the orchestral gamut"
▪ a scale consisting of seven overlapping hexachords, containing all the recognized notes used in medieval music, covering almost three octaves from bass G to treble E.historical
▪ the lowest note in the gamut scale.historical
Word Originlate Middle English: from medieval Latin gamma ut, originally the name of the lowest note in the medieval scale (bass G an octave and a half below middle C), then applied to the whole range of notes used in medieval music. The Greek letter Γ (gamma) was used for bass G, with ut indicating that it was the first note in the lowest of the hexachords or six-note scales (see solmization).