Ambiguate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a statement, meaning, or situation to become uncertain or open to multiple interpretations
2. To render information or an expression indistinct or confusing, so it lacks a clear or definite meaning
3. To introduce doubt or vagueness into communication or understanding, making it hard to determine the exact intent

Etymology: Ambiguate is a plain piece of English word-building: it takes the stem of "ambiguous" and adds the verb-forming suffix "-ate". "Ambiguous" itself came into English from Latin "ambiguus", meaning "wandering about" or "going in two directions", built from "ambi-", "around" or "on both sides", and "agere", "to drive or move". The Latin sense of motion in two directions is the root of the modern idea of a meaning that could lead either way. The suffix "-ate" has a longer pedigree. It comes from Latin "-atus", which formed verbs and adjectives, and English borrowed it in large numbers, so that words such as "activate" and "celebrate" follow the same pattern. English speakers have treated "-ate" as a productive tool ever since, so "ambiguate" is one of many verbs formed on demand from a Latin-derived adjective, rather than an inherited or ancient term.

Synonyms: obscure, confuse, cloud, muddle, complicate

Antonyms: clarify, simplify, explain, define, illuminate