ambi-, amb-, ambo- +
(Latin: both, on both sides; around, about)
ambiopia
Diplopia, or the perception of two images of a single object; also called, double vision and binocular polyopia.
ambiparous
Characterized by containing the rudiments of both flowers and leaves; applied to a bud on plants.
ambisexual, ambisexuality
1. Having separate male and female flowers on the same plant.
2. Used to describe secondary sexual characteristics that are common to both sexes.
2. Sexually responsive to or attracted to both sexes.
ambisinister, ambisinistrous
1. The inability to perform acts requiring manual skill with either hand; literally, "having two left hands".
2. Clumsy, awkwardness, or being unskillful in the use of both hands.
ambisinistrodextrous
Equally skillful with both the left and the right hands.
ambisonics, ambisonic
1. A recording and reproduction system that uses separate channels and speakers to create the effect of being surrounded by sound (a collective noun that takes a singular verb; such as, "ambisonics is a great listening experience").
2. A system of sound reproduction that uses a combination of channels and speakers to produce an effect of surrounding listeners with sound.
ambitendency
Ambivalence of the will.
ambition
1. An earnest or eager desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
2. The object, state, or result desired or sought after: "To be a professional baseball player has been his life-time ambition."
3. A desire for exertion or activity; energy: "We had no ambition to go dancing this evening."
Word History
Even in ancient Rome candidates for public office went around soliciting votes. This activity was indicated by the word ambitio, "a going about, going around".
Ambitio was derived from ambire, "to go about", which in turn was formed from amb-, "about", and ire, "to go". Since this activity indicated a desire for honor or power, the word ambitio came to mean the desire for official honors.
This word was borrowed in French and English as ambition, and its meaning broadened to denote the earnest desire for achievement.
—Information from Picturesque Word Origins; G. & C. Merriam Company;
Springfield, Massachusetts; 1933; page 15.
Ambition is what will get a young man to the top if the boss has no daughter.
—Changing Times magazine
ambitious
1. A strong feeling of wanting to be successful in life and to achieve great things.
2. An aim or objective that someone is trying to achieve.
The scheme, or master plan, of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to build five new cities gives the term
ambitious a new meaning.
—Bob Ghosh as seen in TIME; October 27, 2008; page 49.
ambivalence, ambivalency
1. Behavior resulting from two incompatible motivations, often taking the form of a mixture of the two motivational tendencies.
2. The presence of two opposing ideas, attitudes, or emotions at the same time.
3. A feeling of uncertainty about something due to a mental conflict.
Oh, Honeycup! How could my baby get so dirty!?
Stay down, you dirty dog! Don't jump on me!
When it comes to responding to the dog, the woman obviously has two ways of dealing with it.
—John Rayoa.
ambivalent
1. The coexistence in one person of contradictory emotions or attitudes (as love and hatred) towards a person or thing.
2. The existence of mutually conflicting emotions or thoughts about a person, object, or idea.
3. Uncertainty as to what course to follow; indecision.
Ambivalent refers to people and their attitudes while ambiguous refers to something said or written.
ambiversion
1. A personality pattern that has characteristics of both introversion and extroversion.
2. A balance of introversion and extroversion.
ambivert
1. Someone who is intermediate between an extrovert and an introvert.
2. A personality trait including the qualities of both introversion and extroversion.
ambivorous, ambivore, ambivory
Feeding on grasses and broad-leaved plants.
amboceptor
1. Denotes the anti-sheep red blood cell antibody used in complement fixation tests.
2. In bacteriology, an antibody able to damage or destroy a microorganism or other cell by connecting complement to it.
3. A substance that when added to another breaks down red blood cells.
Related "around, round, surrounding" units:
ampho-;
circ-;
circum-;
cyclo-, -cycle;
gyro-;
peri-.
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