Etymograph

English

ambages

Ambages comes from Old French ambages ‘circumlocution, ambages’, from Latin agō ‘to drive’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagōas agere‘to drive’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambāges‘circumlocution, ambiguity, evasion, digression, beating about the bush’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ambages‘circumlocution, ambages’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1624same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-‘to drive’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*agō‘to drive’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEagōas agere‘to drive’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambāges‘circumlocution, ambiguity, evasion, digression, beating about the bush’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ambages‘circumlocution, ambages’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1624same form

Earliest quotation: 1624, Democritus Junior pseudonym; Robert Burt, The Anatomy of Melancholy: […]: “Having thus briefly anatomized the body and soul of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- ‘to drive’

register, suggest, essay, acre, gesture, congestion, digest, agrarian, belligerent, progesterone, gestation, ingestion, axiomatic, agitate, ingest, samaj, gerund, agger, gestion, 127 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

strategy, agony, reactionary, antagonist, axiom, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, glucagon, stratagem, agonize, 101 more

through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’

reaction, actively, transaction, radioactive, inactive, retroactive, hyperactivity, unambiguous, reagent, ambiguously, 79 more

through Latin agō ‘to drive’

act, action, active, activity, actual, actor, agency, agent, examination, examine, agenda, activate, squat, enact, assay, ambiguous, agile, agility, ambiguity, agitation, radium, actuator, cogent, actuation, inexact, actuate, redact, exigent, 96 more

Today it means

noun Indirect or roundabout ways of talking; circumlocution.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / ambages

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