Other forms: advantages
An advantage is something that puts you ahead of others. A clear advantage, take advantage of an offer, the advantages of living here.
The phrase to watch is take advantage of, which has two quite different meanings: take advantage of an opportunity is neutral and sensible, while take advantage of a person means to exploit them, and only the object tells you which. Note at an advantage and to your advantage, both fixed, and the tennis sense: advantage is the point after deuce, and it is announced as advantage followed by the player's name.
1nounadvantageSomething that puts you in a better position than others.
“Being local was a considerable advantage.”
2nounbenefitA benefit of something.
“The advantages outweigh the cost, just about.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
advantage is a favourable position.
Also accepted in games: benefit
Old French avantage comes from avant, before, from Latin ab ante — from in front. An advantage is a position out in front, and the d was added in English by mistaken analogy with Latin words beginning ad-.
Old French
avantage
Middle English
avantage
English, today
advantage
Built from
From Middle English avantage, from Old French avantage. From Middle English avantage, avauntage, from Old French avantage, from avant (“before”), from Latin ab ante. The spelling with d originates in a latinizing hypercorrection, the a- being falsely supposed to be from Latin ad (see advance). For sense development, compare foredeal.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA