Both Uses of
ambiguous
in
The Aeneid
- Ambiguous rumors thro' the camp he spread, And sought, by treason, my devoted head; New crimes invented; left unturn'd no stone, To make my guilt appear, and hide his own; Till Calchas was by force and threat'ning wrought But why —why dwell I on that anxious thought?†
Book 2
- Th' ambiguous god, who rul'd her lab'ring breast, In these mysterious words his mind express'd; Some truths reveal'd, in terms involv'd the rest.†
Book 6 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(ambiguous) unclear -- because there could be two or more interpretations
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, ambiguous can mean uncertain or doubtful -- as in the expression "an ambiguous smile".