Where does “unambitious” come from?
Unambitious derives from English ambitious, which comes from Latin ambitiosus, formed from Latin ambitio and the prefix ambi- meaning "around," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ambi-.
unambitious (English): having little ambition for success or achievement
Definitions
- having little ambition for success or achievement
Ancestry of “unambitious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ambitious | Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of... |
| 2 | Middle English | ambitious | — |
| 3 | Middle French | ambitieus | — |
| 4 | Latin | ambitiosus | ambitious; winding, twisting; splendid,... |
| 5 | Latin | ambitio | A going around or about; that which surrounds; A... |
| 6 | Latin | ambiō | to round, go round, pass around, skirt |
| 7 | Latin | ambi- | around, about |
| 8 | Latin | ambō | both |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |