LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

ambitus

ambitus m (genitive ambitūs)
Classical[ˈam.bɪ.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈam.bi.tus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea going around, walking around
  2. masculinecircuit
  3. masculineorbit, revolution, cycle
  4. masculineperiphrasis, circumlocution
  5. masculineshow, ostentation, vanity
  6. masculinean unlawful striving for posts of honor, canvassing, especially by bribery; (by extension) bribery
  7. masculineenvironment

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeambitusambitūs
genitiveambitūsambituum
dativeambituīambitibus
accusativeambitumambitūs
ablativeambitūambitibus
vocativeambitusambitūs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

accusare aliquem ambitus, de ambitu
to accuse some one of illegal canvassing.
ambitus, circuitus, comprehensio, continuatio (verborum, orationis), also simply periodus
the period.

ambītus, a, um, Part. of ambio.
ambĭtus, ūs, m. ambio.
I. Lit. A going round, a moving round about, a revolution: cum se octo ambitus ad idem caput rettulerint, Cic. Tim. 9: aquae per amoenos ambitus agros, Hor. A. P. 17 (cf. ambio, II. A.): alligata mutuo ambitu (i. e. amplexu) corpora, Petr. 132: ambitu breviore luna currit quam sol, Plin. 2, 23, 21, § 86: saeculorum, Tac. A. 6, 28: verborum (i. e. ambages), Suet. Tib. 71.—
II. Transf.
A. Abstr. pro concr., a circuit, circle, circumference, periphery, edge of a circular object: ambitus parmae, Plin. 36, 5, 4, § 4: folia ambitu serrato, id. 25, 6, 30, § 66: castra lato ambitu, Tac. A. 1, 61; 4, 49: ambitus lacus, Suet. Claud. 21.—Trop., of discourse, periphrasis, circumlocution, = ambages: multos circa unam rem ambitus facere, Liv. 27, 27.—Hence, the open space left round a house: ambitus est quod circumeundo teritur, Varr. L. L. 5, § 22 Müll.: P. Scaevola id solum esse ambitus aedium dixerit, quo etc., Cic. Top. 4: ambitus proprie dicitur inter vicinorum aedificia locus duorum pedum et semipedis ad circumeundi facultatem relictus, Paul. ex Fest. p. 16 Müll. —Also, the small space around sepulchres, Dig. 47, 12, 5.—
B. An unlawful striving for posts of honor, or canvassing for office; esp. by bribery (cf. ambitio, I.), prohibited by the Lex Calpurnia, Caecilia, Fabia, Julia, Licinia, Tullia de ambitu, against bribery, corruption, etc.: legem ambitus flagitāsti, Cic. Mur. 23: punire ambitum, id. ib. 32, 67; cf. Sall. C. 18, 2 Kritz: accusare aliquem ambitus, Cic. Clu. 41: deferre nomen alicujus de ambitu, id. Cael. 31: interrogare aliquem legibus ambitus, Sall. C. 18, 2: damnatus ambitus, Cic. Clu. 41: condemnare de ambitu, Suet. Caes. 41 al.: effusae ambitus largitiones, Nep. Att. 6.—
C. In gen., the desire to make a display, ostentation, vanity, show, parade: relinque ambitum: tumida res est vana, ventosa, Sen. Ep. 84: proprius quidam intellegendi ambitus, Quint. 12, 10, 3.—Of speech, bombastic fulness, parade: imagine et ambitu rerum, Quint. 10, 1, 16 Fr.; id. Decl. 4 fin.—
D. In rhet., a period: comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum (si sic periodum appellari placet), Cic. Brut. 44, 162; id. Or. 12; so id. ib. 50.

Origins

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

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 *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin ambitus From ambiō + -tus (forming action nouns).

Descendants
  • Catalanàmbit
  • Englishambitfrom Middle English ambyte
  • Italianambito
  • Portugueseâmbito
  • Spanishámbito
  • Venetananbito

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesAmbitusAmbitus which literally signifies a going about, cannot be more nearly expressed than by our word canvassing. After the plebs had formed a distinct es…

Quick answers

What does ambitus mean in Latin?
ambitus, a noun, means “a going around, walking around; circuit; orbit, revolution, cycle”.
What is the genitive of ambitus?
The genitive singular is ambitūs. ambitus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce ambitus?
In classical Latin, [ˈam.bɪ.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈam.bi.tus].
Where does ambitus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- → Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? → Latin ambitus.