Where does “ambivalent” come from?
ambivalent (French) comes from German ambivalent, from Latin ambi-, from Latin ambō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂m̥bʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂n̥tbʰi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ent-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.
ambivalent (French): ambivalent; ambiguous, equivocal
Definitions
- ambivalent; ambiguous, equivocal
Ancestry of “ambivalent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | ambivalent | ambivalent |
| 2 | Latin | ambi- | ambi- |
| 3 | Latin | ambō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |