From ambi- + *alō (“to wander”), from Proto-Italic *alō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂elh₂- (“to wander”). Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄλη (álē, “wandering”), ἀλύω (alúō, “to wander in mind, to roam”), Umbrian amboltu, Latvian aluôt (“to roam”). See alucinor, as well as perhaps alacer.