English
ambidexter
Ambidexter comes from Medieval Latin ambidexter, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂m̥bʰireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amβireconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ambidexter
- Englishearliest quotation 1751same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂m̥bʰireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amβireconstructed
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500ambidexter
- Englishearliest quotation 1751same form
Earliest quotation: 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […]: “He then changed his battery, and being ambidexter, raised…”
Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi
Today it means
noun Someone who is ambidextrous.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi / ambidexter