ambages

ambāges, is, f. (nom. and gen. sing. dub., though mentioned in Charis. p. 25 P. and found in Tac. H. 5, 13 MS.; but found in abl. sing.:

ambage,

Ov. H. 7, 149; Plin. 2, 9, 6, § 41; Val. Fl. 1, 227; also,

ambagine,

Manil. 4, 304; the plur. is complete, gen. ambagum, Ov. M. 7, 761; cf. Schneid. Gr. II. p. 403) [ambi-ago], a going round, a roundabout way ( poet.; in prose only postAug.; syn.: ambago, sinus, flexus, circuitus).

I.

Lit.: variarum ambage viarum (of the windings of the labyrinth), Ov. M. 8, 161; cf.:

dolos tecti ambagesque resolvit,

Verg. A. 6, 29:

(Luna) multiformi ambage torsit ingenia contemplantium,

Plin. 2, 9, 6, § 41:

itinerum ambages,

id. 36, 13, 19, § 2:

longis ambagibus,

Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 226.—

II.

Of speech.

A.

Circumlocution, evasion, digression:

ambages mitte,

Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 81; so id. Ps. 5, 1, 10 (not elsewh. in Plaut.): ambages mihi Narrare occipit, * Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 77:

per ambages et longa exorsa tenere,

Verg. G. 2, 46; Liv. 9, 11 fin.:

ne te longis ambagibus morer,

Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 82:

missis ambagibus,

without circumlocution, directly, id. S. 2, 5, 9; Ov. M. 3, 692; 10, 19.—

B.

Obscurity, ambiguity (as kindr. with ambiguus).—So of the Theban Sphinx:

immemor ambagum,

Ov. M. 7, 761; id. F. 4, 261.—Of the lang. of oracles:

ambage nexa Arcana tegere,

Sen. Oedip. 218:

eā ambage Chalcedonii monstrabantur,

Tac. A. 12, 63; 2, 54.—Also transf. to actions:

per ambages,

in an obscure, enigmatical manner, Liv. 1, 56; 1, 54; Plin. 19, 8, 53, § 169.