ambŭlo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. [regarded by Doed. as a sort of dim. of ambio, but better regarded as comp. of am- and the root of βαίνω, beto, -bito, baculum = βάκτρον, vado, venio; Sanscr. gā = go; Germ. gehen; Engl. go. Curtius].
I Lit.
A In gen., to go about , to walk : cum illā neque cubat neque ambulat, Plaut. Bacch. 4, 8, 56: si non ubi sedeas locus est, est ubi ambules, id. Capt. prol. 12: quem ad modum quis ambulet, sedeat, Cic. Fin. 5, 17, 47: sedetur, ambulatur, Varr. L. L. 6, 1, p. 72 Müll.: ambulatum est, Cic. Leg. 2, 1, 1; Sen. Ep. 113, 15: cum sedeatur, ambuletur, discumbatur, Gell. 2, 2: standi ambulandi vices, Quint. 11, 3, 44: ambulans aut jacens, Plin. Ep. 9, 36; Gell. 2, 9: cum ambulantis Tiberii genua advolveretur, Tac. A. 1, 13: aves aliquae ambulant, ut cornices; aliae saliunt, ut passeres, walk , Plin. 10, 38, 54, § 111: Aegyptii mures bipedes ambulant, id. 10, 64, 85, § 186: claudi ambulant, Vulg. Matt. 11, 5; ib. Joan. 1, 36; ib. Apoc. 2, 1; 9, 20.—Hence,
B Esp., to walk for recreation , to take a walk : abiit ambulatum, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 96: visus sum mihi cum Galbā ambulare, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 16, 51: cum in sole ambulem, etiamsi aliam ob causam ambulem, etc., id. de Or. 2, 14, 60: pedibus ambulare, Suet. Dom. 19.—
C To go , to travel , to journey (class.), Plaut. Capt. prol. 12: quo ambulas tu? id. Am. 1, 1, 185; Ter. Hec. 815: biduo aut triduo septingenta milia passuum ambulare, Cic. Quint. 25; id. Att. 9, 4 fin. : eo modo Caesar ambulat, ut, etc., id. ib. 8, 14 et saep.—Hence, in the comic poets, bene ambula, farewell , a good journey to you , a form oft. used at the departure of any one: bene ambula et redambula, farewell and farewell back , Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 120: Ty. Bene ambulato. Ph. Bene vale, id. ib. 2, 3, 92; and absol. : ambula, go , Ter. Heaut. 380: ambulare in jus, to go into court , go to law : ambula in jus, Plaut. Curc. 5, 2, 23; Ter. Phorm. 936.—
D To walk about with a certain gravity or importance : licet superbus ambules pecuniā. Hor. Epod. 4, 5; id. S. 1, 2, 25; 1, 4, 66.—
E Of inanimate things: amnis, quā naves ambulant, Cato R. R. 1, 3: Nilus immenso longitudinis spatio ambulans, Plin. 5, 9, 10, § 51: velut intus ambulantem (lucem), id. 37, 9, 47, § 131.—Trop. (only post-Aug.): quod deinde caput translatum per omnes leges ambulavit, was afterwards added to all laws , Plin. 10, 50, 71, § 139; Dig. 4, 4, 15: ambulat cum domino bonorum possessio, ib. 37, 11, 2.—
F Act. , esp. with cognate objects, as iter, via, etc., to navigate , sail , pass over , etc.: cum Xerxes tantis classibus tantisque copiis maria ambulavisset terramque navigāsset, Cic. Fin. 2, 34: perpetuas ambulat illa vias, Ov. F. 1, 122 (cf.: ire iter, viam, etc., Burm. ad Prop. 2, 19, 50).— Pass. : si bina stadia ambulentur, Plin. 23, 1, 16, § 26.—
G In milit. lang. t. t., to march : ut ter in mense tam equites quam pedites educantur ambulatum, Veg. Mil. 1, 27.—
H In the jurists in opp. to ire: iter est jus eundi ambulandi hominis, of one going and coming , Dig. 3, 8, 1.—
II Trop. very freq. in eccl. Lat. (like Heb. and N. T. Gr. περιπατέω), to walk , in the sense of to live , with an adjunct of manner or circumstances: ambulavit Henoch cum Deo, Vulg. Gen. 5, 22: ut ambules in viis ejus (Dei), ib. Deut. 10, 12: qui ambulant in lege Domini, ib. Psa. 118, 1: in circuitu impii ambulant, ib. ib. 11, 9: fraudulenter ambulare, ib. Prov. 11, 13.—So also very freq. in N. T., but only once in this sense in the Gospels: quare discipuli tui non ambulant juxta traditionem seniorum? Vulg. Marc. 7, 5: qui non secundum carnem ambulant, ib. Rom. 8, 1: in carne ambulantes, ib. 2 Cor. 10, 3: honeste ambulare, ib. Rom. 13, 13: ut ambuletis digne Deo, ib. Col. 1, 10: quod non recte ambularent, ib. Gal. 2, 14 et persaepe.