What does gama mean?
Gama is the common name for a tall perennial grass belonging to the genus Tripsacum, native to the Americas. In practice the word rarely stands alone: English speakers meet it in the compounds 'gama grass' and 'eastern gamagrass', referring chiefly to Tripsacum dactyloides, a robust plant of the central and southern United States. Gama is valued in agriculture as livestock forage because it is palatable, high-yielding, and notably tolerant of drought and poor soils, thanks to its extensive root system. Historically it formed part of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, and conservationists and range managers have encouraged its replanting both for grazing and for erosion control. The term belongs mainly to the registers of agronomy, botany, and land management, so ordinary readers will encounter it mostly in farming literature rather than daily speech.
nounA tall perennial grass of the genus Tripsacum, native to the Americas and grown chiefly as forage for livestock; most often encountered in the compound form 'gama grass'.
- A tall perennial forage grass of the genus Tripsacum, especially eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides), used as pasture or hay.
"The rancher replanted the lowland field with gama to provide summer grazing for his herd."
"Farmers across the southern plains value gama for its drought tolerance and high yields."
"Stands of eastern gama once covered vast stretches of the tallgrass prairie before cultivation."
Rarely pluralized in practice, since the word denotes a type of grass rather than countable individuals.
"Several gamas of the genus Tripsacum grow across Mexico and Central America."
Eastern gamagrass is sometimes called 'the queen of the prairie grasses' — a deep-rooted native that can thrive where corn would wither.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gama
The word entered American English through regional usage in North America, where settlers adopted it as the name for a native forage grass of the genus Tripsacum; its ultimate source is generally given as an American Spanish borrowing, though the precise path is not firmly documented. It has been in use since at least the nineteenth century in the agricultural vocabulary of the southern and central United States. Beyond its English use, Spanish and Portuguese share the similar word 'gama', meaning a female fallow deer, but that term is a separate word with a different origin and should not be confused with the grass name.
Related word forms
How gama is actually used
Gama is almost always encountered in agricultural and botanical contexts, typically as 'gama grass' or 'eastern gamagrass', rather than as a standalone word in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with gama
Gamma is the third letter of the Greek alphabet (or a measure of radiation/brightness), whereas gama is a forage grass of the genus Tripsacum.