Amphiboly
/ˈæm.fɪ.bə.li/noun
A statement or expression that is grammatically ambiguous and can be understood in more than one way.
Did you know?In ancient rhetoric, amphiboly was a recognized trick of ambiguity—useful for arguments, jokes, and deliberate misdirection, because the grammar itself could be made to hide the truth.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀμφιβολία (amphibolía)
“ambiguity, uncertainty, a doubting or throwing around”
Late Greek
Greek
ἀμφίβολος (amphíbolos)
“ambiguous, doubtful, thrown around on both sides”
Latin
Latin
amphibolia
“ambiguity in wording or construction”
Middle English
English
amphibolie
“ambiguity; a sentence or expression capable of more than one interpretation”
Modern English
English
amphiboly
“a grammatical ambiguity or equivocation”
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