Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Having a grammatical structure that allows of two interpretations; equivocal.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Ambiguous; equivocal: now used only in logic as applied to a sentence susceptible of two meanings.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective obsolete Ambiguous; doubtful.
- adjective (Logic) Capable of two meanings.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective obsolete
ambiguous ;doubtful
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[From Late Latin amphibolus; see amphibole.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Latin amphibolus, Ancient Greek thrown about, doubtful. See amphibole.
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Examples
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What more contemptible could the Pagans of old have spoken of their dunghill deities, with their amphibolous [i.e., ambiguous] oracles?
The Doctrine of the Saints��� Perseverance Explained and Confirmed 1616-1683 1966
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He spoke of him afterwards as “that amphibolous being sitting calmly and unmoved on the throne of amphibology, while he cheats and deludes us by his double meaning, covert phraseology, and claps his hands when he sees us involved in his insidious figures of speech, as a spider rejoices over a captured fly.”
Luther and Other Leaders of the Reformation 1823-1886 1883
whichbe commented on the word amphibolous
Capable of two meanings.
June 4, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word amphibolous
The duke yet lives that Henry shall depose.
August 29, 2011
fbharjo commented on the word amphibolous
These get thrown around - tossed back-and-forth!!- with undertows
August 30, 2011