Etymology of the English word ambition
the English word
ambitionderived from the Old French word
ambitionderived from the Latin word
ambitio (ambition; desire for, currying favor)
derived from the Medieval Latin word
ambitus (circuit, edge, extent)
derived from the Late Latin word
ambire (go round, visit in rotation, inspect)
derived from the Latin word
ire (to go; go, walk; march)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*ei-using the Latin prefix
amb-Date
The earliest known usage of ambition in English dates from the 14th century.
Cognates
French
ambition, German
Ambition, Italian
ambizione, Latin
ambitio, Polish
ambicja, Spanish
ambiciónUsage
Word found in Modern English
