ambul
ˈæmbjʊl
The walking hidden inside 'ambulance'
The picture Two feet swinging past each other, one after the other, keeping on walking. ambul is the walking; ped is the foot the walking is done on.
Where the picture shows up in ambul
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Carrying the sick on foot
Somebody call an ambulance, please!
ˈsʌmbɑːdi kɔːl ən ˈæmbjələns pliːz
Somebody call an ambulance!
Stretcher bearers walking a patient out — the picture that later turned into a vehicle.
A hospital that walked with the army is where ambulance began.
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Up off the bed and walking
The patient is ambulatory again today.
ðə ˈpeɪʃənt ɪz ˈæmbjələtɔːri əˈɡɛn təˈdeɪ
The patient is walking again today.
Two feet down from the bed, taking the corridor one step at a time.
A patient who can walk is treated as an outpatient, not kept in.
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Strolling slowly
We ambled along the river after dinner.
wiː ˈæmbld əˈlɔːŋ ðə ˈrɪvər ˈæftər ˈdɪnər
We walked along the river after dinner.
Feet with no destination moving slowly along the water.
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The part that walks ahead
Skip the preamble and tell me the price.
skɪp ðə ˈpriːæmbl ənd tɛl miː ðə praɪs
Skip the lead-in and give me the price.
A lap around the front yard before anybody goes inside the house.
pre- means before — the walking done first is a preamble.
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Walking while asleep
The doctor said he is a somnambulist.
ðə ˈdɑːktər sɛd hiː ɪz ə sɑːmˈnæmbjəlɪst
The doctor said he sleepwalks.
Eyes shut while the two feet keep walking down the corridor.
somn- means sleep — one who walks inside sleep.
All of it in one picture
ambul is two feet that keep walking. A field hospital once walked its stretchers to the wounded, and that is how the vehicle became an ambulance; a patient off the bed and back on their feet is ambulatory. Strolling with no destination is to amble; the part that walks ahead of the real point is a preamble; the one who walks while asleep is a somnambulist. So when you see ambul, picture walking feet.