ambii

Forms

ambii m pl (plural only, feminine/neuter ambele)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian ambe and a learned borrowed from Latin ambō (“both”): DEX, DLRM and Wiktionary name both, MDA2 Italian alone, CADE and Scriban Latin alone.^{[2][3][1][4][5][6]} DELR gives Italian ambi and the Latin neologism, and DN Italian ambo.^[7][8]

The Latin word is an old dual, Proto-Italic *ambō, cognate with Ancient Greek ἄμφω (ámphō); de Vaan traces it to *h₂(e)nt-bʰoH (“both”).^[9][1] The same Latin word survives by inheritance in old îmbi, its doublet, and in Aromanian imbi;^[1][10][11] Romanian amândoi continues a compound of it with the numeral “two”.^[1][10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is in a work of Țichindeal of 1813, with the sense “both, the one and the other”.^[7] MDA2 cites first Constantin Negruzzi, who wrote „Meleli înfipse ambii pinteni în coastele armăsarului” “Meleli dug both spurs into the stallion's flanks”.^[4][12]

Semantic evolution

The word is a learned synonym of the inherited amândoi, with the same sense.^[2][3] Barițiu's Hungarian–Romanian dictionary of 1869 gives ambii, ambe and ambii, ambele beside amândoi for Hungarian “both”.^[13][14] It stands before the noun, and is often used as a pronoun.^[3][12]

In the 19th century an unarticled feminine ambe was used before a noun, as in the newspaper title Curierul de ambe sexe and in Negruzzi's „provințialii de ambe sexe” “provincials of both sexes”.^[12][5] Scriban rejected this use and wanted the articled ambele sexe.^[6]

Timeline

• 1813 – ambii “both” in Țichindeal, the first record.^[7]
• 1869 – ambii, ambele in Barițiu's Hungarian–Romanian dictionary.^[14]
• 1872 – ambii pinteni “both spurs” in the edition of Negruzzi's works, MDA2's first record.^[4]
• 1939 – Scriban condemns the unarticled ambe.^[6]

Meanings

Numeral

1. both: the one and the other of two, placed before the noun: ambii frați “both brothers”, ambele echipe “both teams”.^[2][15][1]
2. (as a pronoun) Both of them: Au plecat ambii. “Both of them left.”^[3]

Related words

• amândoi
• îmbi
• Latin ambō

Usage notes

The feminine and neuter is ambele; the genitive and dative are ambilor and ambelor.^[5][1] The forms are always articled: an unarticled ambe before a noun is dated.^[12][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 34
3. ^ a b c d Academia Republicii Populare Romîne (1958), Dicționarul limbii romîne moderne, București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 24
4. ^ a b c Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 51
5. ^ a b c Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. ambii
6. ^ a b c d Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 93
7. ^ a b c Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. ambii
8. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. ambii
9. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ a b Gabinschi, Marcu (2001), Dicționar de dublete etimologice ale limbii române, 2nd ed., Chișinău: Litera, p. 116
11. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 411
12. ^ a b c d Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 73
13. ^ Barițiu, George (1869), Dictionariu unguresc-romanescu, Brașov, p. 377
14. ^ a b Barițiu, George (1869), Dictionariu unguresc-romanescu, Brașov, p. 378
15. ^ Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2002), Noul dicționar explicativ al limbii române, București: Litera Internațional, p. s.v. ambii