gamba

Gamba is a term with multiple meanings across languages and disciplines. In Italian, gamba means leg, a meaning shared with Spanish, where gamba can denote a leg as well as serve in culinary contexts to refer to prawns or shrimp in plural forms such as gambas. In English, the most common use of the word is in relation to the viola da gamba, a bowed string instrument of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The viola da gamba, literally “leg viol,” is part of the viol family. It is typically held between the legs, fretted, and usually has six strings tuned in fourths. It was central to European chamber and consort music from the 15th to the 18th century. Although largely supplanted by the violin family, it experienced a revival in modern early-music performance and education, with ensembles and soloists exploring its repertoire.

In culinary contexts within Spanish-speaking cultures, gambas refers to prawns or shrimp; the singular gamba is less commonly used for the seafood and more often appears in anatomical or leg-related phrases. In Italian cuisine, shrimp are called gamberi, not gamba, so the seafood sense is not typical in Italian usage.

Gamba also functions as a surname and may appear in place names or brand names in various countries. The term thus covers linguistic, musical, culinary, and onomastic usages.