Where does “ambitious” come from?
Ambitious comes from Middle English ambitious, from Old French ambitieus, from Latin ambitiosus, derived from Latin ambitio, from Latin ambio meaning to go around, ultimately from Latin ambo meaning both.
ambitious (English): Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of...
Definitions
- Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of...
Ancestry of “ambitious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ambitious | — |
| 2 | Middle French | ambitieus | — |
| 3 | Latin | ambitiosus | ambitious; winding, twisting; splendid,... |
| 4 | Latin | ambitio | A going around or about; that which surrounds; A... |
| 5 | Latin | ambiō | to round, go round, pass around, skirt |
| 6 | Latin | ambi- | around, about |
| 7 | Latin | ambō | both |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |