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Origin and history of ambiguous

ambiguous(adj.)

"of doubtful or uncertain nature, open to various interpretations," 1520s, from Latin ambiguus "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful," an adjective derived from ambigere "to dispute about, contend, debate," literally "to wander, go about, go around," figuratively "hesitate, waver, be in doubt," from ambi- "about" (from PIE root *ambhi- "around") + agere "drive, lead, act" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move"). The English word is first attested in Sir Thomas More (1528); related ambiguity dates to c. 1400. Related: Ambiguously; ambiguousness.

also from 1520s

Entries linking to ambiguous

ambiguity(n.)

c. 1400, "uncertainty, doubt, indecision, hesitation," from Old French ambiguite and directly from Latin ambiguitatem (nominative ambiguitas) "double meaning, equivocalness, double sense," noun of state from ambiguus "having double meaning, doubtful" (see ambiguous). The meaning "obscurity in description" is from early 15c.

disambiguation(n.)

"removal of ambiguity," 1827; see dis- + ambiguous + -ation.

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equivocal
"of doubtful signification, capable of being understood in different senses," c. 1600, with -al (1) + Late Latin aequivocus "of identical sound, of equal voice, of equal significance, ambiguous, of like sound," past participle of aequivocare, from aequus "equal" (see equal (adj.)
explicit
1610s, "open to the understanding, not obscure or ambiguous," from French explicite, from Latin explicitus "unobstructed,...
doubtful
.); douty "ambiguous, enigmatic, obscure" (late 14c.); doubtable (c. 1400); doubtsome (1510s)....
equivocation
aequivocationem (nominative aequivocatio), noun of action from aequivocus "of identical sound, of equal voice, of equal significance, ambiguous...
Aesopic
1927, in the context of Soviet literary censorship; in reference to writing, "obscure or ambiguous, often allegorical, and...
blues
dyspeptic intonation with poor digestion; in reality, it is the advent in popular music of something which the textbooks call ambiguous...
beer
Frisian biar, Middle Dutch and Dutch bier, Old High German bior, German Bier; a West Germanic word of much-disputed and ambiguous...
profit
mid-13c., "income derived from an office, property, transaction, etc.;" c. 1300, "benefit, spiritual benefit, advantage;" from Old French prufit, porfit "profit, gain" (mid-12c.), from Latin profectus "growth, advance, increase, success, progress," noun use of past participle of
meat
Middle English mēte, from Old English mete "food, nourishment, sustenance" (paired with drink), "item of food; animal food, fodder," also "a meal, repast," from Proto-Germanic *mati (source also of Old Frisian mete, Old Saxon meti, Old Norse matr, Old High German maz, Gothic mats
appeal
early 14c., appelen, originally in the legal sense, to "call" to a higher judge or court, from Anglo-French apeler "to call upon, accuse," Old French apeler "make an appeal" (11c., Modern French appeler), from Latin appellare "to accost, address, appeal to, summon, name," iterati

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