limbo

Meaning

1. Chiefly preceded by in: any in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.
2. Jail, prison; (countable) a jail cell or lockup.
3. Synonym of Hades or Hell.
4. Synonym of pawn (“the state of something being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge”).
5. A type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels.
6. To place (someone or something) in an in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.
7. A competitive dance originating from Trinidad and Tobago in which dancers take turns to cross under a horizontal bar while bending backwards. The bar is lowered with each round, and the competition is won by the dancer who passes under the bar in the lowest position without dislodging it or falling down.
8. To dance the limbo (etymology 2, noun etymology 2, noun sense 1).
9. Often followed by under: to pass under something, especially while bending backwards.
10. Alternative letter-case form of limbo (“a type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels”).

Etymology / origin

The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist temporarily until they can enter heaven”), from Latin limbō, the ablative singular of limbus (“border, edge; hem; fringe, tassel”) (notably in expressions like in limbō (“in limbo”) and e limbō (“out of limbo”)); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *lemb- (“to hang limply or loosely”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang down loosely (?)”). Doublet of limp. The verb is derived from the noun.

Related words

Descendant words

• limbo(Finnish) (bor)
• リンボー(Japanese) (bor)

Sources

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