ambition

/æmˈbɪʃən/am-BIH-shuhn

Meaninga going around (for votes)

Common meaning: strong desire to succeed (once going around canvassing)

ambaround, on both sides
itto goLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 649 · scan
ionnoun ending: act or result

‘around, on both sides’ + ‘to go’ → ambition

Journey through time

Latineō, īre, itum‘to go’
Frenchambition
Englishambition‘strong desire to succeed (once going around canvassing)’ · today

it also in: itinerary exit circuit initial transit

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin eō ‘to go’.

Did you know (Latin ambitio, "a…): our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry AMBITION, p. 20 · dictionary scan

Did you know (Latin ire, "to…): our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry eō, p. 649 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry AMBITION, p. 20 · dictionary scan

Roots

eō, īre, itum Latin “to go”

Related words

circuit exit initial itinerary transit

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