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am·bi·ent

(ămbē-ənt)

adj.

1. Surrounding; encircling: ambient sound; ambient air.

2. Relating to or being instrumental or electronic music that has melody, gentle rhythm, and limited harmonic development and is intended to induce a relaxed mood.

[Latin ambiēns, ambient-, present participle of ambīre, to surround : amb-, ambi-, around; see AMBI- + īre, to go; see ei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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