limbs
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
limb 1
(lĭm)n.
1. One of the larger branches of a tree.
2. One of the jointed appendages of an animal, such as an arm, leg, wing, or flipper, used for locomotion or grasping.
3. An extension or a projecting part, as of a building or mountain range.
4.
a. An extension or part distinguished from the main body or group: the conservative limb of the party.
b. A member or representative of a group: was arrested by a burly limb of the law.
5. Archaic An impish child.
tr.v. limbed, limb·ing, limbs
Idiom: To remove the branches from.
(out) on a limb Informal
In a difficult, awkward, or vulnerable position.
[Alteration (probably influenced by limb) of Middle English lim, from Old English.]
limb 2
(lĭm)n.
1. Astronomy The circumferential edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body.
2. Mathematics The edge of a graduated arc or circle used in an instrument to measure angles.
3. Botany The expanded tip of a plant organ, such as a petal or corolla lobe.
[Middle English limbe, graduated edge of an astronomical instrument, from Old French, from Latin limbus, border.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
limbs
- ashtanga - Sanskrit for "having eight parts"—referring to the eight limbs or sutras of yoga; ashtanga yoga is also known as power yoga.
- basket case - Originally slang denoting a soldier who had lost all four limbs, thus unable to move independently.
- stretch - Originally meant "lengthening the limbs" or making them stiffer by stretching.
- hurkle, hurple - To hurkle or hurple is to draw one's limbs in and scrunch up the shoulders in reaction to the cold or in a storm.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.