Etymograph

English

ambiguous

Ambiguous comes from Latin ambiguus ‘moving from side to side, of doubtful nature’, from agō ‘to act, to behave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-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 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambig(ō)
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambiguus‘moving from side to side, of doubtful nature’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1662ambiguous

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-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 CEagō‘to act, to behave’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambig(ō)
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambiguus‘moving from side to side, of doubtful nature’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1662ambiguous

Earliest quotation: 1662, Thomas Salusbury, Mathematical collections and translations: “And forasmuch as in this same question I am…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

suggest, register, essay, acre, gesture, congestion, digest, agrarian, progesterone, gestation, ingestion, belligerent, ingest, agitate, axiomatic, agger, samaj, gerund, gestion, 131 more

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

strategy, agony, antagonist, reactionary, axiom, antagonism, agonist, antagonize, stratagem, glucagon, agonize, 105 more

through Proto-Italic *agō ‘to drive’

reaction, actively, transaction, radioactive, inactive, retroactive, reagent, hyperactivity, 83 more

through Latin agō ‘to act, to behave’

act, action, active, agency, activity, actual, agent, actor, agenda, examination, examine, activate, squat, enact, agile, agility, assay, agitation, radium, actuator, cogent, actuation, inexact, actuate, redact, exigent, 98 more

Today it means

adj Open to multiple interpretations.

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

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

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