limb

1
[ lim ]
See synonyms for: limblimbs on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. 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.

  2. a large or main branch of a tree.

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

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

  3. Archery. the upper or lower part of a bow.

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

verb (used with object)
  1. to cut the limbs from (a felled tree).

Idioms about limb

  1. 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

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English lim, lim(m)e, Old English lim; akin to Old Norse lim “small branches, foliage,” limr “limb, joint (of meat),” līmi “broom (of twigs), rod,” Latin līmus “askew, aslant,” līmen “transverse beam, threshold, lintel”; the spelling limb first appears at the end of the 16th century, probably influenced by limb2

synonym study For limb

2. See branch.

Other words for limb

Other words from limb

  • limb·less, adjective

Words that may be confused with limb

Words Nearby limb

Other definitions for limb (2 of 2)

limb2
[ lim ]

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

  2. the graduated edge of a quadrant or similar instrument.

  1. Botany.

    • the upper spreading part of a gamopetalous corolla.

    • the expanded portion of a petal, sepal, or leaf.

Origin of limb

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English limbe, from Old French limbe, and Latin limbus limbus2;see also limbo1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use limb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for limb (1 of 2)

limb1

/ (lɪm) /


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

  2. any of the main branches of a tree

  1. a branching or projecting section or member; extension

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

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

  4. out on a limb

    • in a precarious or questionable position

    • British isolated, esp because of unpopular opinions

verb
  1. (tr) a rare word for dismember

Origin of limb

1
Old English lim; related to Old Norse limr

Derived forms of limb

  • limbless, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for limb (2 of 2)

limb2

/ (lɪm) /


noun
  1. the edge of the apparent disc of the sun, a moon, or a planet

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

  1. botany

    • the expanded upper part of a bell-shaped corolla

    • the expanded part of a leaf, petal, or sepal

  2. either of the two halves of a bow

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

Origin of limb

2
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

Scientific definitions for limb

limb

[ lĭm ]


  1. 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.

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

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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with limb

limb

see out on a limb; risk life and limb.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.