gamut

/ˈgæmət/

/ˈgæmət/

Other forms: gamuts

A visit with a long-lost cousin might arouse emotions that run the gamut of from joy to nostalgia to sorrow. A gamut is a full or complete range.

In the 16th century, the gamut was the lowest note on the musical scale. In music as well as life, the word has expanded to mean from high to low, or the whole range. The word is often associated with "run," as in "run the gamut from totally excited to so terrified you're quaking with fear." And if you've talked about every discussion point on your agenda, you've covered the gamut of issues that need discussing.

Definitions of gamut

1. noun

   a complete extent or range: "a face that expressed a gamut of emotions"
   type of:

   ambit, compass, orbit, range, reach, scope

   an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
2. noun

   the entire scale of musical notes
   type of:

   musical scale, scale

   (music) a series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific scheme (usually within an octave)