LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

ambāgēs

ambāgēs f (genitive ambāgis)
Classical[amˈbaː.ɡeːs]Ecclesiastical[amˈbaː.d͡ʒes]

Meaning

  1. an indirect, roundabout path; a wandering to and fro, twists and turns
  2. Used to denote any intricate or tortuous process, system or scheme
  3. circumlocution, ambiguity, evasion, digression, beating about the bush
    Id Tiberius solitis sibi ambagibus apud senatum incusavitFor this, Tiberius reprimanded the senate with his usual ambiguitiesc. 105–116, Tacitus, Ab excessu divi Augusti (Annales), volume III, section LI:
  4. a mental uncertainty or confusion

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeambāgēsambāgēs
genitiveambāgisambāgum
dativeambāgīambāgibus
accusativeambāgemambāgēs
ablativeambāgeambāgibus
vocativeambāgēsambāgēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

missis ambagibus dicere
to speak without circumlocution.

ambāges, is, f. (nom. and
I. gen. sing. dub., though mentioned in Charis. p. 25 P. and found in Tac. H. 5, 13 MS.; but found in abl. sing.: ambage, Ov. H. 7, 149; Plin. 2, 9, 6, § 41; Val. Fl. 1, 227; also, ambagine, Manil. 4, 304; the plur. is complete, gen. ambagum, Ov. M. 7, 761; cf. Schneid. Gr. II. p. 403) [ambi-ago], a going round, a roundabout way (poet.; in prose only postAug.; syn.: ambago, sinus, flexus, circuitus).
I. Lit.: variarum ambage viarum (of the windings of the labyrinth), Ov. M. 8, 161; cf.: dolos tecti ambagesque resolvit, Verg. A. 6, 29: (Luna) multiformi ambage torsit ingenia contemplantium, Plin. 2, 9, 6, § 41: itinerum ambages, id. 36, 13, 19, § 2: longis ambagibus, Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 226.—
II. Of speech.
A. Circumlocution, evasion, digression: ambages mitte, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 81; so id. Ps. 5, 1, 10 (not elsewh. in Plaut.): ambages mihi Narrare occipit, * Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 77: per ambages et longa exorsa tenere, Verg. G. 2, 46; Liv. 9, 11 fin.: ne te longis ambagibus morer, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 82: missis ambagibus, without circumlocution, directly, id. S. 2, 5, 9; Ov. M. 3, 692; 10, 19.—
B. Obscurity, ambiguity (as kindr. with ambiguus).—So of the Theban Sphinx: immemor ambagum, Ov. M. 7, 761; id. F. 4, 261.—Of the lang. of oracles: ambage nexa Arcana tegere, Sen. Oedip. 218: eā ambage Chalcedonii monstrabantur, Tac. A. 12, 63; 2, 54.—Also transf. to actions: per ambages, in an obscure, enigmatical manner, Liv. 1, 56; 1, 54; Plin. 19, 8, 53, § 169.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts?
  3. Latinambāgēs

Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder. Proto-Italic *amβi- Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Italic *agō Latin agō Proto-Indo-European *-ḗy Proto-Italic *-ēi(s) Latin -ēs Latin ambāgēs From ambi- (“around”) + agō (“to behave, proceed”) + -ēs (noun-forming suffix).

Descendants
  • Catalanambages
  • Frenchambagesfrom Old French ambages
  • Englishambagesfrom Old French ambages
  • Italianambage
  • Portugueseambages
  • Spanishambages
  • Corsicanambacu
  • Galicianambaxes
  • Polishambaje

Quick answers

What does ambāgēs mean in Latin?
ambāgēs, a noun, means “an indirect, roundabout path; a wandering to and fro, twists and turns; circumlocution, ambiguity, evasion, digression, beating about the bush”.
What is the genitive of ambāgēs?
The genitive singular is ambāgis. ambāgēs is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce ambāgēs?
In classical Latin, [amˈbaː.ɡeːs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [amˈbaː.d͡ʒes].
Where does ambāgēs come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? → Latin ambāgēs.