Etymology

ambiguous

am·bi·gu·ous
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Today it means: Open to multiple interpretations. Full definition →

Latin ambiguu ← Proto-Italic *agō ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂m̥bʰí
  4. Proto-Italic*amβi-
  5. Latinambi-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eǵ-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éǵeti
  8. Proto-Italic*agō
  9. Latinagō
  10. Latinambig(ō)
  11. Latinambiguu
  12. English todayambiguous

From Latin ambiguus (“moving from side to side, of doubtful nature”), from ambigere (“to go about, wander, doubt”), from ambi- (“around, about, on both sides”) + agere (“to drive, move”).

Words from the same roots

Latinambiguus all →

ambiguation

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.