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LIMPNESS

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limp

2[limp]
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. lacking stiffness or firmness, as of substance, fiber, structure, or bodily frame: a limp body.
2. lacking vitality; weary; tired; fatigued: Limp with exhaustion, she dropped into the nearest chair.
3. without firmness, force, energy, etc., as of character: limp, spiritless prose.
4. flexible; not stiff or rigid: a Bible in a limp leather binding.

Origin:
1700–10; perh. < Scand; cf. Icel limpa slackness, limpilegur soft, flabby


limply, adverb
limpness, noun


1. flabby, flaccid, soft. 2, 3. feeble, weak.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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limp   (lĭmp)   
intr.v.   limped, limp·ing, limps
  1. To walk lamely, especially with irregularity, as if favoring one leg.

  2. To move or proceed haltingly or unsteadily: The project limped along with half its previous funding.

n.  An irregular, jerky, or awkward gait.
adj.   limp·er, limp·est
  1. Lacking or having lost rigidity, as of structure or substance.

  2. Lacking strength or firmness; weak or spiritless; a limp handshake; limp opposition.


[Probably from obsolete lymphault, lame, from Old English lemphealt : lemp-, hanging loosely + -healt, lame, limping.]
limp'ly adv., limp'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean lacking in stiffness or firmness: a limp shirt collar; flabby, wrinkled flesh; flaccid cheeks; a floppy hat brim.
Antonym: firm1
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

limp  (adj.)
1706, "flaccid, drooping," of obscure origin, perhaps related to limp (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2limp
Function: noun
: a limping movement or gait
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

limp (lĭmp)
n.
An irregular, jerky, or awkward gait; a claudication. v. limped, limp·ing, limps
To walk lamely, especially with irregularity, as if favoring one leg.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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