I was watching Futurama and there was a scene where Fry tasted a steak and said it tasted gamy (or gamey). Now I've looked up on several dictionaries and they all state that in the context of meat it describes a strong flavor or odor of game. However when I lookup the aforementioned word game and it's plethora of definitions there isn't a single definition that relates to any form of meat or even food for that matter. What does this game exactly mean?
4
-
2Game is hunting prey, typically birds. But in Africa lions my bad Cecil was killed by a trophy hunter.– Weather VaneCommented Jan 12, 2018 at 21:30
-
1Here is a link to wikipedia's description of game in terms of hunting en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_(hunting)– Jessica TiberioCommented Jan 12, 2018 at 21:32
-
4You mean "a steak".– CentaurusCommented Jan 13, 2018 at 0:40
-
2Could you please specify which dictionaries you consulted and what the concrete senses that seemed mismatched were there? It seems unlikely that this would not have been covered in them.– tchrist ♦Commented Jan 13, 2018 at 21:54
Add a comment
|
3 Answers
This probably goes without saying, but it hasn't been directly addressed by any of the existing answers.
The word game, which originally and primarily means roughly a form of amusement, evolved to mean meat by way of hunting as a form of amusement.
OED definition 15 walks the line between the original meaning and the meaning referring to hunted meat.
15. Originally: †entertainment derived from the chase (obs.). In later use: the sport of hunting and shooting (or otherwise catching or killing) animals, birds, etc., as a countryside pursuit.
From there it took on the meaning referred to here, which developed the adjectival form gamey.
The flesh of a game animal or game bird used as food.
This form is first attested in 1658.
answered Jan 13, 2018 at 1:28
Game in this context means:
a. Wild animals hunted for food or sport.
b. The flesh of these animals, eaten as food.
Source https://www.thefreedictionary.com/game (Look at the #9 definition)
