Ambages, pen. prod. f. g. De hoc nomine tantùm legi has tres voculas, Ambage, ambages, & ambagibus. A circuite of wordes: a tale drawen in length.Vix pueris dignæ ambages.Liu.Foolish toyes and cireumstances in talke.Ambages fallaciosæ. Gel. Flexa ambage. Stat.Ambage multiformi. Plin. Ambages obscuræ. Ouid. Ambage longa morati aliquem.Ouid.With a long circumstance of wordes.Ambage verborum obfcurum carmen Magico demurmurat ore.Ouid.Horrendas canit ambages.Virg.Mirtere ambages, Hoc est, dimittere.Liu.To come to the matter.Nexæ ambages.Stat.Vayne circumstances ried togither in his tale.Positis ambagibus vera loqui.Ouid.Leauing all circumstances, to speake the plaine truth.Ambage remissa.Ouid. Remota ambage. Ouid.Per ambages tenere.Virg.Ambage variarum viarum ducit in errorem.Ouid.By the turning and compaffing of diuers wayes.Ambages æquoris. Claud. Ambages tecti resoluit.Virg.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
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,