ambĭgŭus, a, um, adj. [ambigo], going about, hither and thither.
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. —
II Transf.
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. 648: 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).—
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. Her. 1, 6; 1, 12 al.: voces, Verg. A. 2, 98.—
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.☞ 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.