unlimber

¹ American  

[uhn-lim-ber] / ʌnˈlɪm bər /

adjective

1. not limber; inflexible; stiff.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. limber.

unlimber ² American  

[uhn-lim-ber] / ʌnˈlɪm bər /

verb (used with object)

1. to detach (a gun) from its limber or prime mover.

2. to make ready for use or action.

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verb (used without object)

1. to prepare for action.

noun

1. the act of changing a gun from traveling to firing position.

unlimber British  

/ ʌnˈlɪmbə /

verb

1. (tr) to disengage (a gun) from its limber

2. to prepare (something) for use

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Etymology

Origin of unlimber¹

unlimber ¹ ( def. 1 ) un- ¹ + limber ¹; unlimber ¹ ( def. 2 ) un- ² + limber ¹

Origin of unlimber²

First recorded in 1795–1805; un- ² + limber ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

unlimber

In it, the English author lays out rules for a strategic version of toy soldiers—the number of moves required “to pass a fordable river,” “to embark into boats,” and “to unlimber guns.”

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2012

Before the General was able to unlimber his camel guns, volley upon volley of rifle fire echoed from the cliffs.

From Time Magazine Archive

Before Mayor Fieker could unlimber his prepared speach, both Mr, and Mrs Coolidge were safely indoors.

From Time Magazine Archive

Indeed, the prospects for major new controls this year are so dim that the ever-alert National Rifle Association has yet to unlimber its prodigious anti-control lobbying program.

From Time Magazine Archive

An officer who watched them the following day gallop onto the field, unlimber and start firing, told me that the way their fire covered that front was an absolutely uncanny sight.

From On the Fringe of the Great Fight by Nasmith, George G. (George Gallie)