NYT Dictionary

AMBIT

/ˈæmbɪt/
NounAM-bitam-bit · 2 syllablesCollege

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Meaning

The extent of actions, thoughts, or the meaning of words, etc.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

From Late Middle English ambyte, borrowed from Latin ambitus (“circuit; circumference, perimeter; area within a perimeter; ground around a building; cycle, orbit, revolution”) (compare Late Latin ambitus (“neighbourhood; wall of a castle, monastery, or town; cloister; parish boundary”)), from ambīre + -tus (suffix forming verbal nouns from verbs). Ambīre is the present active infinitive of ambiō (“to go around, to skirt; to encircle, surround”), from ambi- (“prefix meaning ‘both, on both sides’”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- (“front; face; forehead”)) + eō (“to go, move”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- (“to go”)). The English word is a doublet of ambitus.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

curtilagescoperangereachorbitcompassambiencealentoursarenabailiwick

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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