Where does “ambition” come from?
Ambition comes from Middle English ambicion, from Old French ambition, from Latin ambitio meaning a going around, derived from ambio meaning to go around, from ambi- meaning around and ambo meaning both, ultimately from eo meaning to go.
ambition (English): Eager or inordinate desire for some object that...
Definitions
- Eager or inordinate desire for some object that...
Ancestry of “ambition”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ambicioun | Excessive ambition |
| 2 | Old French | ambition | — |
| 3 | Latin | ambitio | A going around or about; that which surrounds; A... |
| 4 | Latin | ambiō | to round, go round, pass around, skirt |
| 5 | Latin | ambi- | around, about |
| 6 | Latin | ambō | both |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |