akimbo

[ uh-kim-boh ]

/ əˈkɪm boʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR akimbo ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, adverb

with hand on hip and elbow bent outward: to stand with arms akimbo.

Nearby words

akhnaton, akiapolaau, akiba ben joseph, akihito, akil, akimbo, akimiski island, akin, akinesia, akinesthesia, akinete

Origin of akimbo

1375–1425; late Middle English in kenebowe < Old Norse *i keng boginn bent into a crook (i in, keng accusative of kengr hook, boginn past participle of bjūga to bend)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for akimbo

She was an uncommonly powerful, red-faced Irishwoman; her arms were bare, and she had them akimbo, and was scratching her elbows.
Ravenshoe|Henry Kingsley
Her arms were akimbo and a pipe was thrust between her teeth.
The Black Pearl|Mrs. Wilson Woodrow
His arms were akimbo, his feet planted as firmly as if he were a particularly stubborn brand of tree.
Pagan Passions|Gordon Randall Garrett
Akimbo, a-kim′bo, adj. with hand on hip and elbow bent outward.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various

She was holding up her skirt with one hand, and the other arm was akimbo at her waist.
The Manxman|Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for akimbo

akimbo

/ (əˈkɪmbəʊ) /

adjective, adverb

arms akimbo or with arms akimbo with hands on hips and elbows projecting outwards

Word Origin for akimbo

C15 in kenebowe, literally: in keen bow, that is, in a sharp curve

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012