Ambsace
[AM-zeys]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Anglo-Norman, 14th century
1.
Two ones; the lowest throw at dice; a pair of aces.
2.
Bad luck.
Examples of Ambsace in a sentence
"I had nothing but ambsace during the bachelor party trip."
"I needed to throw a five and a one to win, but I threw ambsace."
About Ambsace
“Ambsace” is also spelled “ambs-ace” and “ames-ace,” which indicate its Old French root “ambes as,” meaning “both aces.” This was taken from the Latin ”ambō,” meaning “both,” and “as,” a common Roman coin that is the root of the word “ace.”
Did you Know?
Variations of the word “ambsace” have appeared in various spellings over the centuries. It was “ambbes aas” and “aumbys as” in pre-14th century texts, “almesace” in the 1500s, and “alms-ace” and “ammez-ace” in the 1600s. Over this time, it referred to two points, as on dice, but it also suggested a very small number or distance, meaning the expression can be used as a measure of extreme closeness. For example, to “roll within ames-ace of a win” means to come as close as possible to victory without actually winning.
