Game Means a Pastime and Also Wild Animals Hunted
A game is an activity played for amusement. The same word names the animals pursued in hunting.
A game is an activity played for amusement, and also wild animals hunted for sport or food. The second sense grew from the first: hunting was a game, an amusement of the nobility, and the quarry took the name of the pastime. That is why a *gamekeeper* manages animals rather than sports. *Game* also means willing, as in *game for anything*, and in British use a *game* leg is a lame one, probably an unrelated word.
- An amusement. *A board game.*
- Hunted animals. *Game birds.*
- Willing. *Game for anything.*
- Lame (British). *A game leg.*
- Old English — *gamen*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | game | A game. |
| Plural | games | Games. |
| Verb | game | Gaming. |
| Compound | gamekeeper | A gamekeeper. |
| Old English | gamen | Amusement. |
- They played a game of cards.Pastime.
- The estate is stocked with game.Hunting.
- She was game to try.Willing.
Game idioms
- The game is up — the deception has been discovered
- Beat someone at their own game — outdo them in their speciality
- A game changer — something that alters the situation entirely
- Give the game away — reveal a secret
- Fair game — a legitimate target, from hunting law
Old English *gamen*, amusement or sport, of Germanic origin.
Why are hunted animals called game?
Because hunting was itself a game, an amusement of the nobility. The quarry took the name of the pastime.
What does fair game mean?
A legitimate target. It comes from hunting law, which specified which animals could lawfully be pursued.