ambiguity
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent-
Proto-Indo-European *-s
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts?
Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder.
Proto-Italic *amβi
Latin ambi-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-
Proto-Indo-European *-eti
Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti
Proto-Italic *agō
Latin agō
Latin ambig(ō)
Proto-Indo-European *-wós
Proto-Italic *-wos
Latin -uus
Latin ambiguus
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ts
Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts
Proto-Italic *-tāts
Latin -tās
Latin ambiguitāsder.
Old French ambiguitebor.
Middle English ambiguite
English ambiguity
From Middle English ambiguite, from Old French ambiguite (French ambiguïté), from Latin ambiguitas, equivalent to ambiguous + -ity.
Base: ambiguous
Affixes: -ity
Inflected forms:
form: ambiguities
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The state of being ambiguous; the state of leaving room for more than one interpretation.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: His speech was made with such great ambiguity that neither supporter nor opponent could be certain of his true position.
Whan this ſayd monument diſcouered was / Suche a ſuauite and fragrant odoure / Aſcended from the corps by ſingular grace / Paſſyng all worldly ſwetnes and ſauour / That all there present that day and hour / Suppoſed they had ben / in the felicite / Of erthely paradiſe / without ambiguite.
gloss: An instance of this state: words or statements that are open to more than one interpretation, explanation or meaning, especially if that meaning cannot be determined from the context.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: If two persons bore the same name, and confusion was likely to be caused, ambiguity was avoided by adding the name of the father[…]
For people who would rather face a plague of locusts than permit an avoidable ambiguity, this is like having their underwear twisted. You may think we should say to such people, “Get a life.” By all means tell them that. I’m neither making these rules up nor trying to enforce them; my job in this book is to point out to you what seems to be the current state of the language and its speakers."
Synonyms: weasel word
Antonyms: unambiguity
Related words: ambiguous
Derived words: ambiguity aversion
Translations:
lang: Afrikaans
word: dubbelsinnigheid
lang: Arabic
word: اِلْتِبَاس
roman: iltibās
lang: Arabic
word: إِبْهَام
roman: ʔibhām
lang: Armenian
word: երկիմաստություն
roman: erkimastutʻyun
lang: Armenian
word: անորոշություն
roman: anorošutʻyun
lang: Armenian
word: երկդիմություն
roman: erkdimutʻyun
lang: Asturian
word: ambigüedá
lang: Catalan
word: ambigüitat
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 模棱兩可的詞句 /模棱两可的词句
roman: móléngliǎngkě de cíjù
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 有歧義的詞句 /有歧义的词句
roman: yǒu qíyì de cíjù
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 雙關語 /双关语
roman: shuāngguānyǔ
lang: Czech
word: mnohoznačnost
lang: Czech
word: dvojsmysl
lang: Danish
word: tvetydighed
lang: Dutch
word: dubbelzinnigheid
lang: Dutch
word: ambiguïteit
lang: Esperanto
word: dusencaĵo
lang: Esperanto
word: ambiguo
lang: Finnish
word: monitulkintaisuus
lang: Finnish
word: monimerkityksisyys
lang: Finnish
word: ambiguiteetti
lang: French
word: ambiguïté
lang: Galician
word: ambigüidade
lang: Georgian
word: გაურკვევლობა
roman: gaurḳvevloba
lang: Georgian
word: ორაზროვნება
roman: orazrovneba
lang: German
word: Ambiguität
lang: German
word: Mehrdeutigkeit
lang: German
word: Doppeldeutigkeit
lang: German
word: Zweideutigkeit
lang: German
word: Vieldeutigkeit
lang: German
word: Doppelsinnigkeit
lang: German
word: Uneindeutigkeit
lang: German
word: Doppelbödigkeit
lang: German
word: Doppelsinn
lang: German
word: Polysemie
lang: German
word: Ambivalenz
lang: Greek
word: ασάφεια
roman: asáfeia
lang: Greek
word: αμφισημία
roman: amfisimía
lang: Ancient Greek
word: ἀμφιβολία
roman: amphibolía
lang: Hungarian
word: kétértelműség
lang: Hungarian
word: félreérthetőség
lang: Indonesian
word: kedwimaknaan
lang: Italian
word: ambiguità
lang: Italian
word: dubbio
lang: Khmer
word: ភាពមិនច្បាស់លាស់
roman: phiəpmɨncbahlŏəh
lang: Korean
word: 애매모호
roman: aemaemoho
lang: Latin
word: ambiguitas
lang: Luxembourgish
word: Ambiguitéit
lang: Macedonian
word: двосми́сленост
roman: dvosmíslenost
lang: Macedonian
word: не́јасност
roman: néjasnost
lang: Macedonian
word: недозначност
roman: nedoznačnost
lang: Mongolian
word: тодорхой бус байдал
roman: todorxoj bus bajdal
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: tvetydighet
lang: Persian
word: گنگی
roman: gongi
lang: Polish
word: wieloznaczność
lang: Portuguese
word: ambiguidade
lang: Romanian
word: ambiguitate
lang: Russian
word: двусмы́сленность
roman: dvusmýslennostʹ
lang: Russian
word: нея́сность
roman: nejásnostʹ
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: dà-sheaghachas
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: амбигвитет
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: вишезначност
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: двосмисленост
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: ambigvitet
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: višeznačnost
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: dvosmislenost
lang: Spanish
word: ambigüedad
lang: Swedish
word: tvetydighet
lang: Thai
word: ความกำกวม
roman: kwaam gamguam
lang: Turkish
word: muğlâklık
lang: Turkish
word: ikircim
lang: Ukrainian
word: двозна́чність
roman: dvoznáčnistʹ
lang: Ukrainian
word: неоднозна́чність
roman: neodnoznáčnistʹ
lang: Ukrainian
word: нея́сність
roman: nejásnistʹ
lang: Vietnamese
word: sự tối nghĩa
lang: Vietnamese
word: sự mơ hồ
lang: Welsh
word: amwysedd