LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
determiner · masculine

ambō̆1

ambō̆ m (feminine ambae, neuter ambō̆)
Classical[ˈam.boː]Ecclesiastical[ˈam.bo]

Meaning

  1. both (of objects occurring in pairs)
    Hic locus est, partēs ubi sē via findit in ambās: dextera quae[…]This is the place where the way parts in both directions: the right one […]29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis VI.540

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Uterque · Ambo · Utervis · Uterlibet

1. Uterque denotes ‘both,’ as two unities, like ἑκάτερος; ambo, as the halves of a pair, like ἄμφω. Cic. Fin. ii. 7. Hic, qui utramque probat, ambobus debuit uti. Orat. 6, 21. Terent. Ad. i. 2, 50. Curemus æquam uterque partem; tu alterum, ego alterum; nam ambos curare propemodum reposcere illum est quem dedisti. Plin. Pan. 90, 4. Vell. P. ii. 66. This difference is palpable from Cic. Mur. 18, 37. Duæ res vehementer in prætura desideratæ sunt, quæ ambæ in consulatu Murenæ profuerunt . . . . Horum utrumque ei fortuna ad consulatus petitionem reservavit. And Orat. iii. 26. A quibus utrisque submittitur aliquid. 2. Uterque and ambo are copulative, and may be resolved into unus et alter, and have their predicate actually in common; whereas utervis and uterlibet are disjunctive, and may be resolved into unus vel alter, and have their predicate in common only by possibility. Ter. Andr. prol. 10. Qui utramvis recte norit, ambos noverit. (iv. 349.)

Declension

plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeambōambaeambō
genitiveambōrumambārumambōrum
dativeambōbusambābusambōbus
accusativeambōs
ambō
ambāsambō
ablativeambōbusambābusambōbus
vocativeambōambaeambō

ambō^, bae, bo,
I. num. (nom. plur. ambo for ambae, Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 7; acc. plur. orig. ambo, analog. to the Gr. ἄμφω, but from the adj. use of the word ambos arose; acc. ambo is found in Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 8; 5, 1, 67; id. As. 3, 3, 121; id. Curc. 5, 3, 14; id. Cist. 2, 1, 49; id. Ep. 2, 2, 19; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 19; 5, 2, 69; id. Most. 3, 2, 140; id. Rud. 3, 5, 7; Afran. ap. Charis. p. 96 P.; Cic. (who never uses ambos) Fam. 5, 8; 9, 13; Caes. (who never uses ambos) B. C. 1, 48; Verg. (who never uses ambos) E. 6, 18; id. G. 4, 88; id. A. 12, 342; Hor. (who never uses ambos) S. 2, 3, 180; 2, 7, 62; Liv. 3, 62; 7, 19; 26, 7; 26, 26; 27, 27; 30, 14; 35, 22; 38, 53; 40, 46; 41, 18; 45, 19; Mart. 7, 40; Sil. 4, 175; 17, 427 al.; ambos is found in Afran. Com. Rel. p. 194 Rib. bis; Plaut. Bacch. 5, 1, 29; id. Ps. 1, 3, 21; Ter. (who never uses ambo) Eun. 5, 8, 39; id. Heaut. 4, 3, 33; 5, 2, 42; id. Ad. 1, 2, 51; 5, 9, 5; Prop. 3, 13, 18; Liv. 2, 10, 6; 22, 34, 10; Sall. (who never uses ambo) J. 21, 4; id. Fragm. 4, 19, 5 Kritz; Ov. (who never uses ambo) H. 10, 51; Tac. (who never uses ambo) A. 13, 54; Vulg. Tob. 3, 25; ib. Eph. 2, 16; cf. Charis. p. 95; Prisc. p. 744 P.; Rudd. I. p. 57; Kühn. ad Cic. Tusc. 1, 46, 110; Neue, Formenl. II. p. 145 sqq.) [ἄμφω, ἀμφότεροι, Paul. ex Fest. p. 4 Müll.; kindr. with Sanscr. ubhāu, dual nom. = ambo; Zend. uba; Slav. oba; Lith. abù; Goth. bai, bajōths; Germ. beide; Engl. both], both (of two objects whose duality is assumed as already known; when not already known, they are designated by duo. The difference between ambo and uterque is thus given by Charis. p. 49 P.: Ambo non est dicendum, nisi de his, qui uno tempore quid faciunt, utpote reges Eteocles et Polynices ambo perierunt quasi unā; Romulus autem et Africanus non ambo triumphārunt, sed uterque; quia diverso tempore).
I. Of objects naturally in pairs, as the parts of the body, both: manusque ambas, Verg. A. 6, 496; 10, 868: ambas palmas, id. ib. 5, 425; 10, 844: tinnient ambae aures ejus, Vulg. 1 Reg. 3, 11; ib. 4 Reg. 21, 12: circum unum ambove genua, Plin. 28, 6, 17, § 59 (but even here we find duo: sumes duos renes (vituli) et adipem, Vulg. Exod. 29, 13; 29, 22: duas manus, ib. Matt. 18, 8 bis; 18, 9: duae palmae manuum ejus, ib. 1 Reg. 5, 4: duorum luminum, of both eyes, ib. Jud. 16, 28; so Shaksp., her two eyes, Love's Lab. Lost, iv. 3; Haml. i. 4).—So of other things: Tristior illā Terra sub ambobus non jacet ulla polis, Ov. P. 2, 7, 64: Atridas Priamumque, et saevum ambobus Achillen, angry with both parties, id. ib. 1, 458.—
II. In gen., of two objects and no more, the two, both: QVOM. PERORANT. AMBO. PRAESENTES. (i.e. actor et reus), Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Gell. 17, 2, 10: consules, alter ambove, si eis videretur, Cic. Phil. 5, 19, 53: ambo accusandi estis, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 67: jam hisce ambo, et servos et era, frustra sunt duo, Plaut. Am. 3, 3, 19: erroris ambo complebo, id. ib. 1, 2, 8: emit hosce ambos, id. Capt. prol. 34: ut eos ambos fallam, Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 33; so Vulg. Tob. 3, 25: hic, qui utrumque probat, ambobus debuit uti, Cic. Fin. 2, 7, 20: una salus ambobus erit, Verg. A. 2, 710: plebiscitis cautum, ne quis duos magistratus uno anno gereret, utique liceret consules ambos plebeios creari, Liv. 7, 42: Caesar atque Pompeius diversa sibi ambo consilia capiunt ... eodemque die uterque eorum ex castris exercitum educunt, Caes. B. C. 3, 30: amborum verba, Tac. A. 3, 35: civitate Romanā ambos donavit, id. ib. 13, 54: ambo occisi, Suet. Aug. 11: errant autem ambo senes, Vulg. Gen. 18, 11; ib. Matt. 15, 14: applicuit ambos ad eum, ib. Gen. 48, 13; ib. Eph. 2, 16.—
III. Poet. = duo: partīs ubi se via findit in ambas, into two, Verg. A. 6, 540.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *amβō, cognate to Ancient Greek ἄμφω (ámphō, “both”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰóh₁, possibly prefixed with the root noun *h₂ent- (“front, front side”) (whence ante). Often considered related to ambi-, but according to Dunkel this only applies to the first syllable.

Descendants
  • Englishambi-
  • Italianambo
  • Frenchambi-
  • Occitanambedós
  • Portugueseambos
  • Romanianambii
  • Romanianîmbi
  • Spanishambosfrom Old Spanish amos
  • Spanishambofrom Old Spanish amos
  • Esperantoambaŭ

In English words that came into English from ambō̆

  • ambigenousambō̆
  • ancipitalanceps
  • ancepsanceps
  • ambsaceambō̆
noun · masculine
ambō2
ambō m
Classical[ˈam.boː]Ecclesiastical[ˈam.bo]

Meaning

  1. Medieval Latinpulpit, lectern

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeambōambōnēs
ambae
genitiveambōnisambōnum
dativeambōnīambōnibus
accusativeambōnemambōnēs
ablativeambōneambōnibus
vocativeambōambōnēs
ambae

Origins

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἄμβων (ámbōn).

Descendants
  • Englishambo
  • GermanAmbo
  • Italianambone
  • Indonesianambo
  • Polishambonafrom Italian ambone

In English words that came into English from ambō

  • amboambō

Quick answers

What does ambō̆ mean in Latin?
ambō̆, a determiner, means “both (of objects occurring in pairs)”.
How do you pronounce ambō̆?
In classical Latin, [ˈam.boː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈam.bo].
Which English words come from ambō̆?
English words that go back to Latin ambō̆ include ambigenous, ambsace, ancipital and anceps.