LAT
ambiguus
JSON
Lewis Short
(adjective) : ambĭgŭus, a, um, ambigo
* Going about, hither and thither.
* Lit.: per ambiguum favorem gratiam victoris spectare,i. e. in that they show equal friendliness to both sides,Liv. 21, 52: ambiguus Proteus,who sometimes takes one form, sometimes another, changeable,Ov. M. 2, 9: ambiguus fuerit, modo vir, modo femina, Scython,id. ib. 4, 280: Inque virum soliti vultus mutare ferinos Ambigui prosecta lupi,they sometimes assume the form of a wolf and sometimes that of a man,id. ib. 7, 271: promisit Ambiguam Salamina, h. l. = alteram,a second Salamis,Hor. C. 1, 7, 29.
* Transf.
* Uncertain, doubtful (syn.: dubius, incertus): ambiguum est quod in ambas agi partes animo potest. Hujusmodi apud Graecos ἀμφίβολα dicuntur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 17 Müll.: quidquid incerti mihi in animo prius aut ambiguom fuit, Nunc liquet, nunc defaecatum est,Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 69: etiam si dudum fuerat ambiguom hoc mihi, * Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 26: difficile et ambiguum,Vulg. Deut. 17, 8: haud ambiguus rex, i. e. sine dubio rex futurus,Liv. 40, 8.—Subst.: ambĭgŭum, i, n., doubt, uncertainty: in ambiguo est,Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 193: in ambiguo relinquere,Lucr. 4, 1133: non habui ambiguum, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 11: servet in ambiguo Juppiter,Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 28: non sane alias magis in ambiguo Britannia fuit,Tac. Agr. 5.—Also in acc. absol. in the Gr. manner: Ambiguum Clymene precibus Phaëthontis an irā Mota magis, it being uncertain whether, etc., Ov. M. 1, 765 (so, incertum, Tac. Agr. 7: dubium,id. A. 1, 5).
* Of discourse, obscure, dark, ambiguous: scriptum,Cic. Top. 25: verba ambigua distinximus,id. Or. 29, 102: oracula,id. Div. 2, 56: responsa,Suet. Tib. 24: divinatio,Vulg. Ezech. 12, 24.—Subst.: ambĭgŭum, i, n., an obscure, dark saying: ambiguorum complura sunt genera,Cic. de Or. 2, 26, 111; 2, 61, 250; Auct. ad Her. 1, 6; 1, 12 al.: voces,Verg. A. 2, 98.
* Trop., uncertain, wavering; not to be relied on, untrustworthy. —So of moral conduct: esse ambiguā fide,Liv. 6, 2: puer acris ingenii sed ambigui,Plin. Ep. 4, 2: femina bonis atque honestis moribus, non ambiguā pudicitiā,Gell. 3, 16: per ambiguas vias,Ov. H. 10, 62: domum timet ambiguam Tyriosque bilinguis,Verg. A 1, 661.—Of fortune, changing, fluctuating: ambiguarum rerum sciens, Tac. A. 1, 64.!*? In Tac. with gen.: ambiguus imperandi,irresolute,Tac. A. 1, 7: pudoris ac metus,wavering between shame and fear,id. ib. 2, 40: futuri,id. H. 3, 43.—Adv.: ambĭguē, doubtfully, ambiguously, Cic. de Or. 2, 26; id. N. D. 1, 31; Aur. Vict. 35: pugnare,with doubtful success,Tac. A. 2, 21 al.
* Going about, hither and thither.
* Lit.: per ambiguum favorem gratiam victoris spectare,i. e. in that they show equal friendliness to both sides,Liv. 21, 52: ambiguus Proteus,who sometimes takes one form, sometimes another, changeable,Ov. M. 2, 9: ambiguus fuerit, modo vir, modo femina, Scython,id. ib. 4, 280: Inque virum soliti vultus mutare ferinos Ambigui prosecta lupi,they sometimes assume the form of a wolf and sometimes that of a man,id. ib. 7, 271: promisit Ambiguam Salamina, h. l. = alteram,a second Salamis,Hor. C. 1, 7, 29.
* Transf.
* Uncertain, doubtful (syn.: dubius, incertus): ambiguum est quod in ambas agi partes animo potest. Hujusmodi apud Graecos ἀμφίβολα dicuntur, Paul. ex Fest. p. 17 Müll.: quidquid incerti mihi in animo prius aut ambiguom fuit, Nunc liquet, nunc defaecatum est,Plaut. Ps. 2, 4, 69: etiam si dudum fuerat ambiguom hoc mihi, * Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 26: difficile et ambiguum,Vulg. Deut. 17, 8: haud ambiguus rex, i. e. sine dubio rex futurus,Liv. 40, 8.—Subst.: ambĭgŭum, i, n., doubt, uncertainty: in ambiguo est,Plaut. Trin. 2, 4, 193: in ambiguo relinquere,Lucr. 4, 1133: non habui ambiguum, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 11: servet in ambiguo Juppiter,Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 28: non sane alias magis in ambiguo Britannia fuit,Tac. Agr. 5.—Also in acc. absol. in the Gr. manner: Ambiguum Clymene precibus Phaëthontis an irā Mota magis, it being uncertain whether, etc., Ov. M. 1, 765 (so, incertum, Tac. Agr. 7: dubium,id. A. 1, 5).
* Of discourse, obscure, dark, ambiguous: scriptum,Cic. Top. 25: verba ambigua distinximus,id. Or. 29, 102: oracula,id. Div. 2, 56: responsa,Suet. Tib. 24: divinatio,Vulg. Ezech. 12, 24.—Subst.: ambĭgŭum, i, n., an obscure, dark saying: ambiguorum complura sunt genera,Cic. de Or. 2, 26, 111; 2, 61, 250; Auct. ad Her. 1, 6; 1, 12 al.: voces,Verg. A. 2, 98.
* Trop., uncertain, wavering; not to be relied on, untrustworthy. —So of moral conduct: esse ambiguā fide,Liv. 6, 2: puer acris ingenii sed ambigui,Plin. Ep. 4, 2: femina bonis atque honestis moribus, non ambiguā pudicitiā,Gell. 3, 16: per ambiguas vias,Ov. H. 10, 62: domum timet ambiguam Tyriosque bilinguis,Verg. A 1, 661.—Of fortune, changing, fluctuating: ambiguarum rerum sciens, Tac. A. 1, 64.!*? In Tac. with gen.: ambiguus imperandi,irresolute,Tac. A. 1, 7: pudoris ac metus,wavering between shame and fear,id. ib. 2, 40: futuri,id. H. 3, 43.—Adv.: ambĭguē, doubtfully, ambiguously, Cic. de Or. 2, 26; id. N. D. 1, 31; Aur. Vict. 35: pugnare,with doubtful success,Tac. A. 2, 21 al.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary
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