Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ambĭgŭē, adv., v. ambiguus fin.

ambĭgŭus, a, um, adj. [ambigo], going about, hither and thither.

  1. I. 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.
  2. II. Transf.
    1. A. 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).
    2. B. 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.
    3. C. 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.
      Note: 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.