limbo
Use Limbo in a sentence
boʊ noun, plural lim·bos.
1.
( often initial capital letter ) Roman Catholic Theology. a region on the border of hell or heaven, serving as the abode after death of unbaptized infants (limbo of infants) and of the righteous who died before the coming of Christ (limbo of the fathers or limbo of the patriarchs)
2.
a place or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date: My youthful hopes are in the limbo of lost dreams.
3.
an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place.
4.
a place or state of imprisonment or confinement.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English, from Medieval Latin phrase in limbō on hell's border (Latin: on the edge), equivalent to in on + limbō, ablative of limbus edge, border (L), place bordering on hell (ML); see limbus1
1300–50; Middle English, from Medieval Latin phrase in limbō on hell's border (Latin: on the edge), equivalent to in on + limbō, ablative of limbus edge, border (L), place bordering on hell (ML); see limbus1
00:10
Limbo
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun, plural lim·bos.
a dance from the West Indies, originally for men only, in which the dancer bends backward from the knees and moves with a shuffling step under a horizontal bar that is lowered after each successive pass.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To limbo
Collins
World English Dictionary
limbo1 (ˈlɪmbəʊ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -bos | |
| 1. | (often capital) Christianity the supposed abode of infants dying without baptism and the just who died before Christ |
| 2. | an imaginary place for lost, forgotten, or unwanted persons or things |
| 3. | an unknown intermediate place or condition between two extremes: in limbo |
| 4. | a prison or confinement |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin in limbo on the border (of hell)] | |
| limbo2 (ˈlɪmbəʊ) | |
| —n , pl -bos | |
| a Caribbean dance in which dancers pass, while leaning backwards, under a bar | |
| [C20: origin uncertain] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
limbo
"region supposed to exist on the border of Hell" reserved for pre-Christian saints (Limbus patrum) and unbaptized infants (Limbus infantum);" c.1300, from L. (in) limbo "(on) the edge," abl. of limbus "edge, border" (see limb (2)). Figurative sense of "condition of neglect or oblivion" is from 1642.
limbo
dance in which the dancer bends backward and passes under a bar, 1956, of W.Indian origin, probably an alteration of limber.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
limbo definition
In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the afterlife, the condition of innocent persons who die without benefit of baptism; those in limbo do not suffer damnation, but they do not enjoy the presence of God. Limbo means “a bordering place.”
Note: Figuratively, “limbo” is a state of nonresolution or uncertainty: “Until he receives notice of his new posting, he'll be in limbo.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
lumbo definition[ˈləmbo] and [ˈlɪmbo]and limbo
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
On the other hand, that leaves the country in a nervous state of limbo for nearly three months.
Still, uncertainty looms because of volatile prices and regulatory limbo.
But at the moment, agriculture has been caught in limbo.
Guantanamo might not rate as a tourist spot, but it's proved the ideal place for keeping the detainees in legal limbo.
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