LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

ambitiō

ambitiō f (genitive ambitiōnis)
Classical[amˈbɪ.ti.oː]Ecclesiastical[amˈbit.t͡si.o]

Meaning

  1. A going around or about; that which surrounds.
  2. A desire for one's favor or good will; excessive desire to please, flattery, adulation.
  3. A desire for honor, popularity, power or display; ambition; vanity.
  4. Partiality, favouritism.
  5. A great exertion.
  6. The going about of candidates for office in Rome, and the soliciting of citizens for their vote; candidature; canvassing.

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeambitiōambitiōnēs
genitiveambitiōnisambitiōnum
dativeambitiōnīambitiōnibus
accusativeambitiōnemambitiōnēs
ablativeambitiōneambitiōnibus
vocativeambitiōambitiōnēs

ambĭtĭo, ōnis, f. ambio,
I. a going round.
I. In the time of the republic, t. t. (v. ambio, II. B.), the going about of candidates for office in Rome, and the soliciting of individual citizens for their vote, a canvassing, suing for office (by just and lawful means; while ambitus denotes unlawful means, as bribery, threats, etc.): quid de nostris ambitionibus loquar? Cic. Tusc. 2, 26, 62: mea me ambitio ab omni illā cogitatione abstrahebat, id. Sull. 4: cum ambitionis nostrae tempora postulabant, id. Planc. 18, 45: si infinitus forensium rerum labor et ambitionis occupatio decursu honorum etiam aetatis flexu constitisset, id. de Or. 1, 1, 1: hic magistratus a populo summā ambitione contenditur, Cic. Verr. 2, 53, 131: tanta exarsit ambitio, ut primores civitatis prensarent homines, Liv. 3, 35, 1 et saep.—
II. A.. In gen., a striving for one's favor or good-will; an excessive desire to please, flattery, adulation: ambitione labi, Cic. Brut. 69, 244: sive aliquā suspitione sive ambitione adducti, id. Clu. 28, 76: in Scipione ambitio major, vita tristior, id. Off. 1, 30, 108 Heus., Beier, and Gernh.: Dionysius Platonem magnā ambitione Syracusas perduxit, in an ostentatious manner, for the purpose of securing his favor, Nep. Dion, 2, 2 Br. and Dähn.: ambitio (i.e. studium Fabiis placendi) obstabat, Liv. 5, 36: ambitione relegatā, without flattery, Hor. S. 1, 10, 84: ambitionem scriptoris facile averseris, obtrectatio et livor pronis auribus accipiuntur, Tac. H. 1, 1: nullo officii aut ambitionis genere omisso, i.e. nullis blanditiis, Suet. Oth. 4: coronas quam parcissime et sine ambitione tribuit, id. Aug. 25 et saep.—Hence, also partiality: jus sibi per ambitionem dictum non esse, Liv. 3, 47.—
B. With the predom. idea of the purpose or end, a desire for honor, popularity, power, display, etc.; in bon. part., ambition; in mal. part., vanity.—So in Lucr. of the ambitious efforts of men: Angustum per iter luctantes ambitionis, struggling to press through the narrow way of ambition, Lucr. 5, 1132: me ambitio quaedam ad honorum studium duxit, Cic. Att. 1, 17: Miserrima omnino est ambitio honorumque contentio, id. Off. 1, 25: a quo incepto studioque me ambitio mala detinuerat, Sall. C. 4, 2: aut ab avaritiā aut miserā ambitione laborat, Hor. S. 1, 4, 26: Vitā solutorum miserā ambitione gravique, id. ib. 1, 6, 129; so id. ib. 2, 3, 78; 2, 6, 18: inanis, id. Ep. 2, 2, 207: levis, Ov. F. 1, 103 al.: licet ipsa vitium sit ambitio, tamen frequenter causa virtutum est, Quint. 1, 2, 22: perversa, id. 10, 7, 20: funerum nulla ambitio, no display, pomp, Tac. G. 27.—
C. Great exertion: cum admitti magnā ambitione aegre obtinuisset, Just. 1, 3.—
D. That which surrounds (v. ambio, 2.; postclass. for ambitus): vimineos alveos circumdant ambitione tergorum bubulorum, with a wrapping of cowhide, Sol. 22: fuliginem ambitio extimae cutis cohibet, id. 35: ita assedimus, ut me ex tribus medium lateris ambitione protegerent, Min. Oct. 4.

Origins

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

Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder. Proto-Italic *amβi- Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Italic *ejō Proto-Italic *eō Latin eō Latin ambiō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin ambitiō From ambiō (“go around”) + -tiō. Compare ambitus.

Descendants
  • Catalanambició
  • Englishambition
  • Frenchambition
  • GermanAmbitionfrom French ambition
  • Romanianambițiefrom French ambition
  • Italianambizione
  • Occitanambicion
  • Portugueseambição
  • Spanishambición
  • Finnishambitio

Quick answers

What does ambitiō mean in Latin?
ambitiō, a noun, means “A going around or about; that which surrounds.; A desire for one's favor or good will”.
What is the genitive of ambitiō?
The genitive singular is ambitiōnis. ambitiō is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce ambitiō?
In classical Latin, [amˈbɪ.ti.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [amˈbit.t͡si.o].
Where does ambitiō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? → Latin ambitiō.