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LATIN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

dubius.

Moving in two directions alternately, vibrating to and fro, fluctuating, wavering

6 characters2 syllables approx.Latina language

Meaning & usage

adj[ˈdʊ.bi.ʊs]Classical-Latin[ˈduː.bi.us]
  1. Moving in two directions alternately, vibrating to and fro, fluctuating, wavering

    adjective · declension-1 · declension-2
  2. Vacillating in mind, wavering, uncertain, doubting, doubtful, dubious, irresolute, undetermined

    adjective · declension-1 · declension-2 · figuratively
  3. Precarious, dangerous, critical, difficult, adverse, doubtful, in doubt

    adjective · declension-1 · declension-2
  4. Changeable, uncertain

    adjective · declension-1 · declension-2
Where this word comes from

Somewhat uncertain, but likely derived from *dubos (“in doubt”, adj.), from Proto-Italic *du(i)βwos, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi- (“two-”) + *bʰuH- (“to be”), with the same latter element as in superbus, probus (less likely tribus), in this case parallel to Ancient Greek διφυής (diphuḗs, “of two shapes or natures”). Or less likely, directly from Proto-Indo-European *dubʰi- (“on two sides”). For the relation to "two" cf. Ancient Greek δισσός (dissós, “twofold; doubtful”), δοιάζω (doiázō, “to be in two minds”) and German Zweifel (“doubt”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.