Lewis & Short

ambō̆, bae, bo, num. (nom. plur. ambo for ambae, Plaut. Merc. 2, 1, 7; acc. plur. orig. ambo, analog. to the Gr. ἄμφω, but from the adj. use of the word ambos arose; acc. ambo is found in Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 8; 5, 1, 67; id. As. 3, 3, 121; id. Curc. 5, 3, 14; id. Cist. 2, 1, 49; id. Ep. 2, 2, 19; id. Bacch. 4, 8, 19; 5, 2, 69; id. Most. 3, 2, 140; id. Rud. 3, 5, 7; Afran. ap. Charis. p. 96 P.; Cic. (who never uses ambos) Fam. 5, 8; 9, 13; Caes. (who never uses ambos) B. C. 1, 48; Verg. (who never uses ambos) E. 6, 18; id. G. 4, 88; id. A. 12, 342; Hor. (who never uses ambos) S. 2, 3, 180; 2, 7, 62; Liv. 3, 62; 7, 19; 26, 7; 26, 26; 27, 27; 30, 14; 35, 22; 38, 53; 40, 46; 41, 18; 45, 19; Mart. 7, 40; Sil. 4, 175; 17, 427 al.; ambos is found in Afran. Com. Rel. p. 194 Rib. bis; Plaut. Bacch. 5, 1, 29; id. Ps. 1, 3, 21; Ter. (who never uses ambo) Eun. 5, 8, 39; id. Heaut. 4, 3, 33; 5, 2, 42; id. Ad. 1, 2, 51; 5, 9, 5; Prop. 3, 13, 18; Liv. 2, 10, 6; 22, 34, 10; Sall. (who never uses ambo) J. 21, 4; id. Fragm. 4, 19, 5 Kritz; Ov. (who never uses ambo) H. 10, 51; Tac. (who never uses ambo) A. 13, 54; Vulg. Tob. 3, 25; ib. Eph. 2, 16; cf. Charis. p. 95; Prisc. p. 744 P.; Rudd. I. p. 57; Kühn. ad Cic. Tusc. 1, 46, 110; Neue, Formenl. II. p. 145 sqq.) [ἄμφω, ἀμφότεροι, Paul. ex Fest. p. 4 Müll.; kindr. with Sanscr. ubhāu, dual nom. = ambo; Zend. uba; Slav. oba; Lith. abù; Goth. bai, bajōths; Germ. beide; Engl. both], both (of two objects whose duality is assumed as already known; when not already known, they are designated by duo. The difference between ambo and uterque is thus given by Charis. p. 49 P.: Ambo non est dicendum, nisi de his, qui uno tempore quid faciunt, utpote reges Eteocles et Polynices ambo perierunt quasi unā; Romulus autem et Africanus non ambo triumphārunt, sed uterque; quia diverso tempore).

  1. I. Of objects naturally in pairs, as the parts of the body, both: manusque ambas, Verg. A. 6, 496; 10, 868: ambas palmas, id. ib. 5, 425; 10, 844: tinnient ambae aures ejus, Vulg. 1 Reg. 3, 11; ib. 4 Reg. 21, 12: circum unum ambove genua, Plin. 28, 6, 17, § 59 (but even here we find duo: sumes duos renes (vituli) et adipem, Vulg. Exod. 29, 13; 29, 22: duas manus, ib. Matt. 18, 8 bis; 18, 9: duae palmae manuum ejus, ib. 1 Reg. 5, 4: duorum luminum, of both eyes, ib. Jud. 16, 28; so Shaksp., her two eyes, Love’s Lab. Lost, iv. 3; Haml. i. 4).
    So of other things: Tristior illā Terra sub ambobus non jacet ulla polis, Ov. P. 2, 7, 64: Atridas Priamumque, et saevum ambobus Achillen, angry with both parties, id. ib. 1, 458.
  2. II. In gen., of two objects and no more, the two, both: QVOM. PERORANT. AMBO. PRAESENTES. (i.e. actor et reus), Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Gell. 17, 2, 10: consules, alter ambove, si eis videretur, Cic. Phil. 5, 19, 53: ambo accusandi estis, Ter. Heaut. 1, 1, 67: jam hisce ambo, et servos et era, frustra sunt duo, Plaut. Am. 3, 3, 19: erroris ambo complebo, id. ib. 1, 2, 8: emit hosce ambos, id. Capt. prol. 34: ut eos ambos fallam, Ter. Heaut. 4, 3, 33; so Vulg. Tob. 3, 25: hic, qui utrumque probat, ambobus debuit uti, Cic. Fin. 2, 7, 20: una salus ambobus erit, Verg. A. 2, 710: plebiscitis cautum, ne quis duos magistratus uno anno gereret, utique liceret consules ambos plebeios creari, Liv. 7, 42: Caesar atque Pompeius diversa sibi ambo consilia capiunt … eodemque die uterque eorum ex castris exercitum educunt, Caes. B. C. 3, 30: amborum verba, Tac. A. 3, 35: civitate Romanā ambos donavit, id. ib. 13, 54: ambo occisi, Suet. Aug. 11: errant autem ambo senes, Vulg. Gen. 18, 11; ib. Matt. 15, 14: applicuit ambos ad eum, ib. Gen. 48, 13; ib. Eph. 2, 16.
  3. III. Poet. = duo: partīs ubi se via findit in ambas, into two, Verg. A. 6, 540.