Dictionary.com

ambi-

Save This Word!

a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin, meaning “both” (ambiguous) and “around” (ambient); used in the formation of compound words: ambitendency.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of ambi-

<Latin; akin to Greek amphí,Albanian mbë,Old Irish imb, imb-,Welsh, Old Breton am, am- (variant em-), Gaulish amb(i)- (see embassy), Old High German umbi (>German um), Old English ymb(e)-, Sanskrit abhí-tas around. Cf. amphi-
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ambi- in a sentence

  • I discovered the first signs of nest-building on the 13th, while investigating the question of a bird's ambi-dexterity.

    Birds in the Bush|Bradford Torrey
  • Ambi-dexter, one that goes snacks in gaming with both parties; also a lawyer that takes fees of a plaintiff and defendant at once.

British Dictionary definitions for ambi-

ambi-

combining form
indicating bothambidextrous; ambivalence; ambiversion

Word Origin for ambi-

from Latin: round, on both sides, both, from ambo both; compare amphi-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK