Where does “ambition” come from?
ambition (Old French) comes from Latin ambitio, from Latin ambiō, 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- — on, onto.
Ancestry of “ambition”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | ambitio | A going around or about; that which surrounds; A... |
| 2 | Latin | ambiō | — |
| 3 | Latin | ambi- | ambi- |
| 4 | Latin | ambō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂m̥bʰi | around, on either side of, about; in exchange... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂n̥tbʰi | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
Words derived from “ambition”