limb

[ lim ]

/ lɪm /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR limb ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a part or member of an animal body distinct from the head and trunk, as a leg, arm, or wing: the lower limbs; artificial limbs.

a large or main branch of a tree.

a projecting part or member: the four limbs of a cross.

a person or thing regarded as a part, member, branch, offshoot, or scion of something: a limb of the central committee.

Archery. the upper or lower part of a bow.

Informal. a mischievous child, imp, or young scamp.

verb (used with object)

to cut the limbs from (a felled tree).

Nearby words

Idioms

out on a limb, in a dangerous or compromising situation; vulnerable: The company overextended itself financially and was soon out on a limb.

Origin of limb

before 900; Middle English, Old English lim; akin to Old Norse lim foliage, limr limb, līmi rod, Latin līmus aslant, līmen threshold

SYNONYMS FOR limb

1 extremity.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR limb ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formslimb·less, adjective

Can be confusedlimb limn

Synonym study

2. See branch.

Definition for limb (2 of 2)

limb

[ lim ]

/ lɪm /

noun

Astronomy. the edge of the disk of the sun, a moon, or a planet.

the graduated edge of a quadrant or similar instrument.

Botany.

the upper spreading part of a gamopetalous corolla.
the expanded portion of a petal, sepal, or leaf.

Origin of limb

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin limbus; see limbus², limbo¹

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

Examples from the Web for limb

Mating with a cousin or brother is safer than risking life and limb to mate with an outsider.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We can do anything here from open heart surgery to limb amputations,” he says.
Behind the Scenes With a ‘Site Agent’: The Secret Service’s Hardest Job|Marc Ambinder|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some might want to be the star, others to direct, but it takes a special breed to want to risk life and limb as a stuntman.
Amateur Stuntmen, the iPhone 6, and More Viral Videos|Jack Holmes|August 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So now, keeping all that in mind, how many Afghans do you think risked life and limb to cast their ballot?
Would You Risk Your Life to Vote? It Looks Like 7 Million Afghans Did.|Dean Obeidallah|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The year will start bleakly—really going out on a limb there, eh?
Obamacare, Impeachment, Iran, and More Political Predictions for 2014|Michael Tomasky|December 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A movement and my legs might fall off the limb and drag me downward.
The Rifle Rangers|Captain Mayne Reid
It is usually about six weeks before the patient can use the limb with freedom.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
Like a young priestess she stood, motionless save for the sudden quiver of a limb, a quick pulse-flutter in the rounded throat.
The Mystery of Choice|Robert William Chambers
Quaking in every limb, his teeth chattering, and a cold sweat pouring from him, he listened as the awful voice spoke again.
Toto's Merry Winter|Laura E. Richards
If skilled massage cannot be obtained, gentle rubbing of the limb will fulfil the same useful purpose.
Nervous Breakdowns and How to Avoid Them|Charles David Musgrove

British Dictionary definitions for limb (1 of 2)

limb

/ (lɪm) /

noun

an arm or leg, or the analogous part on an animal, such as a wing

any of the main branches of a tree

a branching or projecting section or member; extension

a person or thing considered to be a member, part, or agent of a larger group or thing

mainly British a mischievous child (esp in limb of Satan or limb of the devil)

out on a limb

in a precarious or questionable position
British isolated, esp because of unpopular opinions

verb

(tr) a rare word for dismember

Derived Formslimbless, adjective

Word Origin for limb

Old English lim; related to Old Norse limr

British Dictionary definitions for limb (2 of 2)

limb

/ (lɪm) /

noun

the edge of the apparent disc of the sun, a moon, or a planet

a graduated arc attached to instruments, such as the sextant, used for measuring angles

botany

the expanded upper part of a bell-shaped corolla
the expanded part of a leaf, petal, or sepal

either of the two halves of a bow

Also called: fold limb either of the sides of a geological fold

Word Origin for limb

C15: from Latin limbus edge

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

Word Origin and History for limb (1 of 2)

limb

n.1

"part or member," Old English lim "limb, joint, main branch of a tree," from Proto-Germanic *limu- (cf. Old Norse limr "limb," lim "small branch of a tree"), a variant of *liþu- (cf. Old English liþ, Old Frisian lith, Old Norse liðr, Gothic liþus "a limb;" and with prefix ga-, source of German Glied "limb, member"), from PIE root *lei- "to bend, be movable, be nimble." The parasitic -b began to appear late 1500s for no etymological reason (perhaps by influence of limb (n.2)). In Old and Middle English, and until lately in dialects, it could mean "any visible body part."

The lymmes of generacion were shewed manyfestly. [Caxton, "The subtyl historyes and fables of Esope, Auyan, Alfonce, and Poge," 1484]

Hence, limb-lifter "fornicator" (1570s). To go out on a limb in figurative sense "enter a risky situation" is from 1897. Life and limb in reference to the body inclusively is from c.1200.

Word Origin and History for limb (1 of 2)

limb

n.2

late 14c., "edge of a quadrant or other instrument," from Latin limbus "border, hem, fringe, edge," of uncertain origin. Klein suggests cognate with Sanskrit lambate "hangs down," and English limp. But Tucker writes that "the sense appears to be that of something which twists, goes round, or binds ... not of something which hangs loose," and suggests cognates in Lithuanian linta "ribbon," Old Norse linnr "whether." Astronomical sense of "edge of the disk of a heavenly body" first attested 1670s.

Medicine definitions for limb

limb

[ lĭm ]

n.

One of the paired jointed extremities of the body; an arm or a leg.

A segment of such a jointed structure.

Science definitions for limb

limb

[ lĭm ]

One of the appendages of an animal, such as an arm of a starfish, the flipper of dolphins, or the arm and leg of a human, used for locomotion or grasping.

The expanded tip of a plant organ, such as a petal or corolla lobe.

The circumferential edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body.

Idioms and Phrases with limb

limb

see out on a limb; risk life and limb.

limb

noun

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of limb

Synonym study

Definition for limb (2 of 2)

limb

noun

Origin of limb

Examples from the Web for limb

British Dictionary definitions for limb (1 of 2)

limb

noun

verb

Word Origin for limb

British Dictionary definitions for limb (2 of 2)

limb

noun

Word Origin for limb

Word Origin and History for limb (1 of 2)

limb

Word Origin and History for limb (1 of 2)

limb

Medicine definitions for limb

limb

n.

Science definitions for limb

limb

Idioms and Phrases with limb

limb