Etymology

Unknown but possibly borrowed from a Celtic language. See gombeen from Irish gaimbín ‎(“monetary interest”), from Proto-Celtic *kambos ‎(“twisted, crooked”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱambos, *(s)kambos ‎(“crooked”). If so, cognate to Latin cambiō from cambium borrowed from Gaulish cambion, whence change and exchange.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡombe/