Etymograph

English

ambit

Ambit comes from Latin ambitus ‘circuit’, from ambiō ‘to round, go round, pass around, skirt’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- ‘to go’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ey-‘to go’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éyti‘to go, to be going’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ejōreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*eō‘to go’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEeō
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambiō‘to round, go round, pass around, skirt’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambitus‘circuit’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ambyte
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1913ambit

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ey-‘to go’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éyti‘to go, to be going’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ejōreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*eō‘to go’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEeō
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambiō‘to round, go round, pass around, skirt’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEambitus‘circuit’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ambyte
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1913ambit

Earliest quotation: 1913, Gilbert Parker, ‘The Alpine Fellow’: “He had invited Destiny to sweep him up in…”

The story

Ambīre is the present active infinitive of ambiō (‘to go around, to skirt; to encircle, surround’), from ambi- (‘prefix meaning ‘both, on both sides’’) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (‘front; face; forehead’)) + eō (‘to go, move’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (‘to go’)). The English word is a doublet of ambitus.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- ‘to go’

eid, itinerary, iter, 26 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti ‘to go, to be going’

ion, isthmus, cation, anionic, 21 more

through Proto-Italic *eō ‘to go’

initiative, initiate, initiation, initiator, 6 more

through Latin eō

issue, initial, transition, exit, trance, transient, eyre, obituary, sedition, transitive, transitory, seditious, praetorian, praetor, obit, 26 more

through Latin ambiō ‘to round, go round, pass around, skirt’

ambient, ambiance, 4 more

Today it means

noun The extent of actions, thoughts, or the meaning of words, etc.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- / ambit

Shirt and support for this word