The word of the day is gamut, which refers to a range or series of related things. When something runs the gamut, it encompasses an entire range of related things. The term can be used in various contexts, such as describing the offerings at a flea market or the themes in a production. For example, a production can run the gamut from circuses and rodeos to mermaids and pirates. The word gamut originated from the musical term gamma-ut, which referred to a note written on the first staff line. Guido d'Arezzo, an 11th-century musician and monk, used the term gamma-ut to describe the first note on his musical scale. Over time, the term gamma-ut was shortened to gamut, and its meaning expanded to cover all the notes of d'Arezzo's scale. The meaning of gamut continued to expand, eventually covering all the notes in the range of an instrument, and then any range of related things. The song Do-Re-Mi from The Sound of Music introduced the concept of solfège to a wide audience, but the term gamut has a much longer history. The word gamut is now used in a broader sense to describe a range or series of related things, and its origins in music are still reflected in its meaning.