limbn.1
/lɪm/, U.S. /lɪm/ 1. Any organ or part of the body. Obsolete exc. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > part of body > [noun]
limbc1000
partyc1300
feature1393
member?a1400
partc1400
dimension1600
site1861
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 274 Gif an lim bið untrum, ealle ða oðre ðrowiað mid þam anum.
a1300 Cursor Mundi 2023 Naked o þat lime lai he þat man think mast scham to see.
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xvi. 9 A man has na lym þat he is warere wiþ þan wiþ his eghe.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 195 We sighe..a mayde..i-torned into a man, and was i-berded anon, and anoon hadde alle lymes as a man schulde haue [L. barbamque et cetera virilia produxisse].
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS) iii. xvii Þlyme of syȝte [L. organum visus].
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v The lymmes of generacion were shewed manyfestly.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 166 Self is overspread in all the lims and faculties of thy body and soule.
1880 M. A. Courtney W. Cornwall Words in M. A. Courtney & T. Q. Couch Gloss. Words Cornwall at Limb ‘Your daughter looks well’. ‘No, she's but slight; her face is her best limb’.
2. figurative.1580 J. Lyly Euphues & his Eng. (new ed.) f. 101 There is..no birde that flyeth with one winge, no loue that lasteth with one lym.1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια 728 Through the three Regions, Naturall, Vitall & Animal, we haue carried our Story..it followeth now that we prosecute our History vnto the Limmes.1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity iv. 10 The very body of Antichristianism, with the distinct Limbs and Articulations thereof.† c. plural. The pieces of a suit of armour.
a. A part or member of an animal body distinct from the head or the trunk, e.g. a leg, arm, wing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > [noun]
lithc900
limb971
memberc1384
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > body and limbs > [noun] > limb
limb971
spauld?a1513
ankle1542
971 Blickl. Hom. 13 Þa clænan leomu þære halgan fæmnan.
1154 Anglo-Saxon Chron. anno 1137 (Laud) [Hi] þrengde þe man þær inne ðet him bræcon alle þe limes.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 23 Þu sunegest mid summe of þisse limen ofter þenne þu scoldest.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 252 Leomen buten liue.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9730 Sa me scal lacnien his leomes þat beoð sare.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 6/164 Þe strencþe him failede in is limes.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 139 His lyndes & his lymes so longe & so grete.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Reeve's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 32 Oure lymes mowe wel been vnweelde.
c1440 York Myst. xxviii. 21 My lymmys are heuy as any leede.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur xxi. iii He felle amonge the serpentys, & euery beest took hym by a lymme.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 385 Off lymmys he wes weill maid.
1508 J. Fisher Treat. Penyt. Psalmes sig. yy.ii Beddes to refresshe theyr wery lymmes.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 3762 A large man of lenght with limis full brode.
a1561 G. Cavendish Metrical Visions (1980) 1108 In dewe proporcyon, she [sc. nature] wrought hathe euery lyme [rhymes, tyme, clyme].
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions vi. 41 Their weake limmes and failing ioyntes.
1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar ii. 163 He made crooked limmes become straight.
1755 J. Wesley Primitive Physick (ed. 5) 33 This will..stop the bleeding of an amputated Limb.
1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles v. xx. 201 His trembling limbs their aid refuse.
1872 St. G. Mivart Lessons Elem. Anat. iv. 152 A vertebrate animal may exist without limbs, as we see..in most serpents.
b. = leg n. Now only (esp. U.S.) in mock-modest or prudish use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > limb > leg > [noun]
shanka900
legc1300
grainsa1400
limbc1400
foot?a1425
stumpa1500
pin?1515
pestlea1529
boughc1550
stamp1567
understander1583
pile1584
supporters1601
walker?1611
trestle1612
fetlock1645
pedestal1695
drumstick1770
gam1785
timber1807
tram1808–18
fork1812
prop1817
nethers1822
forkals1828
understanding1828
stick1830
nether person1835
locomotive1836
nether man1846
underpinning1848
bender1849
Scotch peg1857
Scotch1859
under-pinner1859
stem1860
Coryate's compasses1864
peg1891
wheel1927
shaft1935
c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (1839) lxvi. 175 Summe han here Armes or here Lymes alle to broken, and somme the sydes.
a1513 W. Dunbar Flyting in Poems (1998) I. 206 Thy hanchis hirklis with hukebanis harth and haw, Thy laithly lymis ar lene as ony treis.
1568 Christis Kirk on Grene in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 263 His lymmis wes lyk twa rokkis.
1568 Interlud Droichis Part Play 66 in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 317 The hingand brayis on adir syde Scho powtterit with hir lymmis wyde.
17.. A. Ramsay Scribblers Lash'd 116 If Nellie's hoop be twice as wide As her two pretty limbs can stride.
?a1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 196 I lastly was with Curtis among the floating batt'ries, And there I left for witness, an arm and a limb.
1837 S. Knowles Love-chase ii. i, in Dram. Wks. (1856) II. 15 I'll show a limb with any of them! Silks I'll wear, nor keep my legs in cases more!
1839 F. Marryat Diary in Amer. II. 245 I am not so particular as some people are, for I know those who always say limb of a table, or limb of a piano-forte.
1858 Pittsburg Chron. June The poor brute [a horse]..fell..fracturing his limb.
1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner (1861) vii. 83 ‘A bit of the wing, Roxy, or the—under limb?’
1885 in J. S. Farmer Slang (1891) II. 18/2 Between you'n me, red stockings ain't becomin' to all—ahem—limbs.
1898 M. Deland Old Chester Tales 237 But it was she who informed him that he might stay until his ‘limb’ permitted him to walk.
1902 H. L. Wilson Spenders xxxi. 369 One of my maids who slipped on the avenue yesterday and fractured one of her—er—limbs.
1904 Courier-Jrnl. (Louisville, Kentucky) 5 Sept. 1 Her limbs were void of shoes or stockings.
1924 W. M. Raine Troubled Waters i. 12 She dexterously arranged the skirt without being able to conceal some inches of slender limb rising from a well-turned ankle.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > [noun] > suit of armour > the pieces of a suit of armour
limbs1651
1651 W. Davenant Gondibert i. vi. xliv Some, who once were steadfast foot,..snatch those limbs which only horse~men wore.
d. Phrases. life and limb (see life n. Phrases 10c), †limb and lith, †limb and head, †limb and bone, limb and carcass, limb and wind, expressions intended to refer inclusively to all the bodily faculties employed in certain connections. †limb and land, body or life and property. †ilk(a) limb, ich a limb, used adverbially in sense ‘in every limb, in every part of the body, all over’. to tear or pull (one) limb from limb.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > part of body > [adverb] > every part or all over
(from) head to foot (also feet)eOE
ich a limbc1275
life and limbc1275
limb and headc1275
limb and landc1275
limb and lithc1275
from face to foot1567
limb and bone1599
limb and wind1697
limb and carcass1841
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 1407 He hehte hælden grið & frið vppe leome & vppe lif.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 353 Ȝe sculen habben lif & leomen [c1300 Otho lime].
a1300 Cursor Mundi 24619 Sua lam in lime and lith.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2555 Als he louede leme or lif.
a1330 Roland & V. 493 He bi-held him ich a lim.
1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. v. 81 Boþe his lyf and his leome was lost þorw my tonge.
c1430 Hymns Virg. 43 Saue þee harmelees, lyme & heed.
c1440 York Myst. xix. 2 Peyne of lyme and lande, Stente of youre steuenes stoute.
1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. lxxvi. 62 He had pyte of hem and yaf hem lyf and lymme.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. v. 58 He is blyssyd, ich a lym.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cxxxij That their lifes and lymmes should be saued.
1567 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xi. 23 Lym nor lyth I may not steir.
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 67 Hee will..teare him limbe from limbe, but hee will extract some capitall confession from him.
1608 T. Hudson tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Ivdith v. 71 in J. Sylvester Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) That Duke, whose name alone Hath made great warriours quake both lim and bone.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 99 Of able Body, sound of Limb and Wind . View more context for this quotation
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 55 They pull'd down..their..Houses, and pull'd them..Limb from Limb.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge ii. 244 The traveller..examined him in limb and carcase.
1888 Times (Weekly ed.) 9 Nov. 16/2 Young men, strong of limb and wind.
3. In uses originally figurative (cf. member v.2).† e. applied to things. Obsolete.
a. A member (e.g. of the church as ‘the body of Christ’, of Christ, of Antichrist); a branch or section; an element or component part. Obsolete except in nonce-uses, with distinct reference to a metaphorical ‘body’.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > sect > Christianity > person > [noun]
christenmaneOE
limbc1000
christenOE
disciplec1325
Christianc1330
member of Christc1384
Nazarenec1384
saintc1384
Nazarite1535
cross-bearera1569
Nasrani1583
Nazaritan1609
Galilean1611
Nasara1792
Xtian1940
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > constituent part or component
limbc1000
membera1382
elementc1386
parcelc1395
ingredientc1460
partc1530
ingredience1577
principle1594
simple1603
composer1610
partiment1641
component1644
constitutive1647
composite1657
integral1659
ingredient1674
aggregant1749
constituent1757
congredient1767
factor1816
integrant1825
inclusion1845
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 276 Ge..sindon Cristes lichama and leomu.
c1200 Vices & Virtues (1888) 27 Hie sculen bien mine lemen, and ich here heaued.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 265 Nis god ure heaued. & we his limen alle.]
c1315 Shoreham Poems (E.E.T.S.) 23 Ȝef þat þou art A lyme of holy cherche.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 182 Þe kueades þet byeþ ine þise wordle þet byeþ þe lemes of anticrist.
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 412 God haþ ordeyned dyuerse lemes of hooly chirche.
c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋62 Ye were the children of God, and lymme of the regne of God.
1550 J. Veron Godly Saiyngs Ep. Ded. sig. A.viii His Christian brethren, whome he heareth also too be the lymmes of Christ.
1557 W. Baldwin & T. Palfreyman Treat. Morall Philos. (new ed.) iii. iii. f. 83v In the soules of men is ingenerate a leme of science, which with the mixture of a terrestrial substance, is obfuscate or made darke.
1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 402 Your Schoolemasters and you are a limme of Antichrist.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme lxvi. 1 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 74 All lands, the lymms of earthy round.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxviii. 188 A part of the house of God, a limme of the visible Church of Christ.
1607 S. Hieron Abridgem. of Gospell in Wks. (1620) I. 115 The whole order thereof in euery part and limme set downe in His eternall wisedome and prouidence.
1661 A. Marvell Let. 18 May in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 247 So considerable a body in your selues and so honourable a limbe of the Towne.
1679 J. Dryden Troilus & Cressida Pref. sig. b3v Fletcher..was a Limb of Shakespear.
1773 E. Burke Corr. (1844) I. 441 I never can forget that I am an Irishman..I think I would shed my blood, rather than see the limb I belong to oppressed.
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. ii. 22 Our little corps of officers.., including that non-effective limb, the doctor.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. vi. 78 An army is but the limb of a nation.
b. †the devil's or the fiend's limb, limb of the devil, of Satan, of hell: an agent or scion of the evil one; an imp of Satan; hence, a mischievous wicked person (now dialect). †So also thieves' limb.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > wickedness > [noun] > devilish wickedness > devilish or hellish person > agent of Satan
the devil's limb971
sergeanta1513
imp1526
971 Blickl. Hom. 33 Cuþ is þæt se awyrgda gast is heafod ealra unrihtwisra dæda, swylce unrihtwise syndon deofles leomo.
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 78/20 Zaroen and Arphaxat þat þe deueles limes were.
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter iii. 1 Many, þat is, fendes & þe fendes lymmys, rises agayns me.
c1350 St. Mary Magd. 212 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 83 A, lym of Satenas, þi sire!
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 109 Þe deuelis lyms maden discencion..aȝenst hem.
1434 Rolls of Parl. V. 435 A disciple and lyme of the feende called the Pucelle.
c1450 Mirour Saluacioun 2763 Judas yt thevis lymme.
a1540 R. Barnes Wks. (1573) 189/2 Such a vyllayne, and lymme of ye deuell.
1607 S. Hieron Worth Water of Life in Wks. (1620) I. 201 The gift of regeneration, which is that whereby a man, of a limme of Sathan, is made a member of Christ.
?1635 in D. Dickson Sel. Pract. Writings (1845) (modernized text) 71 Ye may as well say, ‘I am naturally a devil's limb’.
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 45 He hath made many black limbs of hell fair saints in heaven.
1833 J. S. Sands Poems 86 (E.D.D.) Divide my game, ye devil's limbs!
c. Hence limb alone is used for: A mischievous person (in later use applied mostly to children); a young imp or rascal. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > harmfulness > playful mischievousness > mischievous person > [noun] > young
monkey1589
crack1600
irchin1625
limb1625
imp1642
booger1728
varmint1773
hurcheon?a1786
puck1823
hellion1845
faggot1859
Peck's bad boy1883
society > morality > moral evil > wickedness > roguery, knavery, or rascalry > [noun] > playful or mischievous roguery > young or playful rogue
urchinc1525
rascal1601
limb1625
imp1642
pickle1779
impling1780
rip1781
scamp1808
hempy1818
flibbertigibbet1826
tinker1855
faggot1859
skeezicks1908
1625 B. Jonson Staple of Newes iii. Intermeane (1631) 49 I had it from my maid Joane Heare-say: shee had it from a limbe o' the schoole, shee saies, a little limbe of nine yeere old.
1735 W. Pardon Dyche's New Gen. Eng. Dict. Limb,..sometimes 'tis a Term of Reproach, signifying a Scold, or very turbulent Woman.
1760 S. Foote Minor iii. 91 Ah, Foote's a precious limb! Old-nick will soon a football make of him!
1838 C. Dickens Oliver Twist II. xxii. 44 Now listen, you young limb.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xx. 36 See there!..don't that show she's a limb?
1862 C. S. Calverley Verses & Transl. 7 He was what nurses call a ‘limb’.
d. limb of the law: a derisive name for a legal functionary of any kind, e.g. a lawyer, a police officer. Also occasionally limb of the bar: a barrister.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > law enforcement > law-enforcement or peace-officer > [noun]
grithsergeant1293
Officer of the Lawc1380
peace officer1649
town officer1667
constable?c1682
myrmidon1699
limb of the law1730
ossifer1819
eirenarch1867
Keystone1929
lawman1959
society > law > legal profession > lawyer > [noun] > counsellor, barrister, or advocate
advocatec1384
oratorc1384
prolocutor1493
counsellor1530
barristerc1545
barman1657
bar-gown1664
counsel1709
limb of the bar1815
blue bag1817
actor1875
1730 Portland Papers (Hist. MSS. Comm.) VI. 35 He is a Limb of the Law and will be over here [i.e. at York] at our Assizes.
1753 School of Man 149 There's another Limb of the Law starting from his bed to peruse a case recommended to him.
1770 S. Foote Lame Lover iii. 71 Well said, my young limb of the law.
1809 Gil Blas i. v. ⁋7 A limb of the law, who had hitherto taken us under his protection.
1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 260 As a limb of the Bar, I with honour renown 'em.
ΚΠ
1593 Queen Elizabeth I tr. Boethius De Consolatione Philosophiæ in Queen Elizabeth's Englishings (1899) iii. pr. x. 64 What tho' all these good thinges, sufficiency, powre, all be but lyms of blissidnes.
c1640 New Serm. of newest fashion (1877) 37 That Heathenish Structure, the lim of Idolatry Cheapside Crosse.
?1661 Merry Drollery: 1st Pt. 2 But she a Babe of grace..Thought kissing a disgrace A Limbe of prophanation In that place.
4. Transferred senses.† c. [translating medieval Latin membrum.] An estate, etc. dependent on another. Obsolete.
a. A main branch of a tree.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch
boughc1000
limbOE
brancha1300
trainc1390
grain1513
palm1559
arm1579
stem1584
lug-pole1773
hag wood1804
hag1808
tree branch1851
rame1858
OE Beowulf 97 Se Ælmihtiga..gefrætwade foldan sceatas leomum ond leafum.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball vi. lxxxiii. 764 His [the cedar's] limmes and branches be long and stretched out.
1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 14 In taking off an whole Branch or Limb, cut close to the Stem.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 351 A large Limb of the Tree.
1863 T. Woolner My Beautiful Lady 114 Giant shadows trenched the frosty ground From bole and limb.
1879 R. Jefferies Wild Life 271 Elms are often stripped..to make the timber..free from the great branches called ‘limbs’.
b. In various uses, chiefly of material things and more or less technical: A projecting section of a building, e.g. the outworks of a castle; one of the four branches composing a cross; a member or clause of a sentence, or the like; a spur of a mountain range; one of the pieces which compose the lock of a gun; the part of a compound core of a transformer, electromagnet, etc., on which a coil is wound.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [noun] > projecting subdivision
outshot1378
wing1523
limb1577
jambc1600
excursiona1626
return1625
flanker1631
pavilionc1676
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a piece or bit
stitchc825
piecec1230
nookc1300
crotc1330
gobbetc1330
batc1340
lipe1377
gobbona1387
bladc1527
goblet1530
slice1548
limb1577
speild1653
swatch1697
frustum1721
nib1877
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > syntax or word order > syntactic unit or constituent > [noun] > clause
clausec1374
particlea1530
limb1577
member1762
main clause1853
colon1883
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > constituent part or component > of a complex structure or instrument > of a cross-shaped object
limb1577
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > mountain > [noun] > range > spur
limb1832
offset1833
counterfort1847
spurlet1894
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrical engineering > transformer > [noun] > part of core
limb1902
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electrically induced magnetism > [noun] > magnet > middle section of > on which coil is wound
limb1902
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Scotl. 477/1 in Chron. I They..wanne the lims of the house vpon them, forcing the capitayne..to retire within the dongeon.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 593/1 After that all the lymmes of the Castell had beene reuersed and throwne downe, they kept the maister Tower.
1611 S. Hieron Mariage-blessing in Wks. (1620) I. 411 Now followeth that limme of the prayer, which concernes the man.
1612 J. Webster White Divel I 3 b I haue heard you say, giuing my brother sucke, Hee tooke the Crucifix betweene his hands, And broke a limbe off.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §97 A carpenter's square, having a spirit-level fixed upon one of its Limbs.
1810 W. Scott Lady of Lake iii. 107 A slender crosslet..The shaft and limb were rods of yew.
1832 J. Hodgson in J. Raine Mem. J. Hodgson (1858) II. 258 The outer gateway and court which stood on the most northerly limb of the hill.
1858 N. Hawthorne Fr. & Ital. Jrnls. (1872) I. 20 There is a spiral stair-case within one of its [an arch's] immense limbs.
1859 Regulations for Musketry Instr. Army iii. 11 Name the limbs of the lock, and the other principal parts of the rifle.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. xv. 332 In another limb of the same sentence.
1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) II. x. 515 A short eastern limb, ending in an apse, contained the high altar.
1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 845 So great an increase of arterial pressure as to rupture a limb of the aortic valve.
1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVII. 584/1 These [portions] are: (1) the magnet ‘cores’ or ‘limbs’, carrying the exciting coils whereby the inert iron is converted into an electro~magnet; (2) the yoke, which joins the limbs together and conducts the flux between them; and (3) the pole-pieces.
1934 H. Cotton Design Electr. Machinery viii. 162 With core-type transformers the cross-section of the limbs may be rectangular in the case of small transformers, but it is more usual to adopt for all sizes a cross-section which fits as closely as possible into a circumscribing circle.
1943 Gloss. Terms Electr. Engin. (B.S.I.) 40 Those parts of the [transformer] core surrounded by windings are termed legs or limbs and those not so surrounded are termed yokes.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > real or immovable property > land > a dependent possession
aparauntc1400
appendance1523
limba1647
dependency1684
appendage1694
appanage1807
1442 in T. Madox Formulare Anglicanum (1702) 147 Manerium de Raskell cum omnibus suis membris & pertinenciis suis.]
a1647 T. Habington Surv. Worcs. (Worcs. Hist. Soc.) (1895) I. iii. 403 Thys chappell is a lym of Suckley, havinge neyther buryall nor Armes.
a1647 T. Habington Surv. Worcs. (Worcs. Hist. Soc.) (1895) I. iii. 405 Escelie, Wolscote and Wolaston are but lyms of the Manor of Swineford.
d. out on a limb, in an isolated or stranded position; at a disadvantage. Originally U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > [phrase] > in a difficult position > in straits
waterOE
straitly steadc1400
need-stead?c1450
at the worst hand1490
in suds1575
lock1598
at a bad hand1640
in a wood1659
in bad bread1743
up a stump1829
in a tight (also awkward, bad, etc.) spot1851
up shit creek1868
in the cart1889
in the soup1889
out on a limb1897
in a spot1929
up the creek1941
consommé1957
1897 A. H. Lewis Wolfville 59 Seven of us..seein' whatever can we tie down an' brand, when some Mexicans gets us out on a limb.
1934 Amer. Speech 9 11/2 A player is out on a limb when he is allowed to play a hand at an overambitious contract.
1939 F. S. Fitzgerald Lett. (1964) 50 She might not consider the rearrangement of someone else's words a literary composition, which would leave you out on a limb.
1943 J. B. Priestley Daylight on Sat. xxvii. 210 Somebody does something dam' silly, which probably means that some poor devils somewhere are left out on a limb.
1948 J. Steinbeck Russ. Jrnl. (1949) iii. 41 No one is willing to go out on any limb. No one is willing to say yes or no to a proposition. He must always go to someone higher.
1959 Economist 18 Apr. 214/2 President Nasser is out on a bit of a limb, but in this uncomfortable situation he can take comfort from the thought that there is still no other pan-Arab leader in sight.
1972 Guardian 7 Feb. 10/6 Once in the Commission, the British Civil Servant will feel out on a limb, away from the main-stream of his department.
1973 Times 23 May 16/5 At the international law of the sea conference Britain could find herself isolated and out on a limb.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a.
limb arch n.
ΚΠ
1883 H. N. Martin & W. A. Moale Handbk. Vertebr. Dissect. 102 The general arrangement of the skeleton; its..limb arches and limbs.
limb-bone n.
ΚΠ
1854 R. Owen Struct. Skeleton & Teeth in Orr's Circle Sci.: Org. Nature I. 166 The strength and lightness of the limb-bones.
limb-dance n.
ΚΠ
a1885 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 192 While cripples are, while lepers, dancers in dismal limb-dance.
limb-ease n.
ΚΠ
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot i. i. 6 Longing for limb-ease, and tooth motion.
limb-fitter n.
ΚΠ
1967 Economist 8 Apr. 121/3 Hangers granted a rise..to its limb-fitters from the start of this year.
limb-fitting adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > prosthesis > [noun] > fitting artificial limb
limb-fitting1920
1920 Glasgow Herald 3 Dec. 8 The limb-fitting centres in the United Kingdom have been increased from 6 to 20.
1959 Chambers's Encycl. I. 652/1 Roehampton, the chief limb-fitting centre in England.
limb-muscle n.
ΚΠ
1898 P. Manson Trop. Dis. xiv. 231 Atrophied limb-muscles.
limb-nerve n.
ΚΠ
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 309 The sweat-nerves, although ultimately in the limb-nerves, do not leave the cervical or lumbar regions of the cord in the anterior roots of these nerves.
limb-vessel n.
ΚΠ
1898 J. Hutchinson Archives Surg. IX. 333 All the larger limb-vessels must also be simultaneously affected.
b.
limb-numbing adj.
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. ii. i. 333 The stifning Carpese, th'eies-foe Hemlocke stinking, Limb-numming, belching: and the sinewe-shrinking Dead-laughing Apium.
limb-strewn adj.
ΚΠ
1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab v. 64 Amid the horrors of a limb-strewn field.
C2. Also limb-meal adv.† limb-broken adj. Obsolete affected with hernia, ruptured.† limb-lifter n. Obsolete a fornicator.† limb-take adj. Obsolete crippled.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > [adjective] > hernia or rupture
hernious1398
limb-broken1398
film-brokea1400
burstenc1440
broken-lended1483
rimburst1558
burst1574
bursten-gutted1601
broken-bellied1634
gut-foundered1647
ruptured1723
hernial1738
herniary1753
herniated1879
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xvii. xix. (Tollem. MS.) It heleþ hem at þe beste þat beþ lyme broke [1535 limme broken L. herniosis].
limb-bud n. Embryology in an embryo, a small protuberance from which a limb develops.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > embryo or fetus > embryo parts > [noun] > rudiment
germen1608
principle1665
germ1721
primordium1875
anlage1892
fundament1892
proton1893
limb-bud1906
1906 G. R. Satterlee Outl. Human Embryol. v. 55 Outgrowths of mesenchyme occur from the lateral portion of the trunk. These projections are called the limb-buds, and are the anlages for the arms and legs.
1926 Proc. Royal Soc. B. 100 273 If the undifferentiated limb-bud of the embryonic Fowl was cultivated in vitro, it underwent a considerable amount of progressive development.
1965 L. B. Arey Developmental Anat. (ed. 7) xii. 210 The limb buds appear late in the fourth week as lateral swellings.
limb-girdle n. Anatomy (see girdle n.1 4b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > bony support for limbs > [noun]
girdle1601
limb-girdle1870
1870 G. Rolleston Forms Animal Life 33 Possessed of no functional limbs nor limb-girdles.
limb-guard n. defensive armour for the arm or leg.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > armour for limbs > [noun]
strip-armour1860
strip-work1860
limb-guard1869
1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour viii. 125 At this time [c1350] the limb-guards were made to enclose the limbs within back and front pieces, hinged and buckled together.
limb-kinetic adj. Pathology denoting a form of apraxia (see quot. 1966).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > convulsive or paralytic disorders > [adjective] > palsy or paralysis > ataxia or apraxia
limb-kinetic1914
1914 H. Liepmann in 17th Internat. Congr. Med. XI. ii. 100 Both limb-kinetic, and particularly ideokinetic apraxia, generally have ideational defective reactions admixed with them.
1933 W. R. Brain Dis. Nerv. Syst. i. 95 Apraxia has been analysed by Liepmann into limb-kinetic apraxia.., ideo-kinetic apraxia, due to a dissociation between ideational and kinaesthetic processes, and ideational apraxia.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) I. 494/1 Several forms of apraxia are usually distinguished. The lowest order apraxia is called limb-kinetic or motor... Limb-kinetic apraxia refers to a loss of coordination usually affecting one upper limb only. Gross movements may be performed fairly well, whereas fine individual movements of the fingers are lost.
limb-length adv. with limbs stretched out to their full length.
ΚΠ
1873 J. A. Symonds Stud. Greek Poets vii. 211 Where the Bacchantes lie limb-length beneath the silver~firs.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > [noun] > sexual indulgence > womanizing or associating with loose women > one who
horlinga1200
holourc1230
whore-mana1325
putourc1390
putroura1425
whoremastera1425
whoremonger?a1472
putyer1477
whoredomerc1485
holarda1500
whore-keeper1530
mutton-monger1532
smell-smock?1545
stallion1553
woman-louper1568
limb-lifter1579
Lusty Laurence1582
punker1582
wencher1593
womanist1608
belly-bumper1611
sheep-biter1611
stringer1613
fleshmongera1616
hunt-smock1624
whorer1624
womanizer1626
woman errant1628
mongera1637
linen-lifter1652
whorster1654
whorehopper1664
cousin1694
smocker1708
mutton-master1729
woman dangler1850
masher1872
chippy chaser1887
chaser1894
stud1895
molrower1896
skirt-chaser1942
1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 16 Better might they say themselues to be..perfect Limme lifters, for teaching the trickes of euery Strompet.
1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Leuante,..a lim-lifter, an vp-taker, a bold pilfrer.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of visible parts > lameness or physical disability > [adjective]
limphalta700
lamec725
haltc893
cripplec1230
alamedc1275
crippleda1400
left-handeda1425
limb-take1519
limp-legged1523
limpish1570
lamish1592
limping1599
spavined1647
hip-shotten1648
hamble-shanked1661
hop-legged1714
cripply1775
bockety1842
estropiated1917
1519 W. Horman Vulgaria ix. f. 106 Brute beestis cherisshe vp theyr kynde: thoughe they be lymtake, or be nummed.
limb-wood n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > wood > wood of specific trees > [noun] > oak > type of
bog oak1813
green oak1867
limb-wood1901
1901 J. Black Illustr. Carpenter & Builder Ser.: Home Handicrafts 62 [For mosaic work] black is obtained by using ebony or bog oak..green, by..a species of native green oak, known as ‘limb wood’.
Draft additions 1997
The upper or lower half of a long-bow (also figurative, of a rainbow).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > naturally occurring light > [noun] > sunlight or sunshine > ray of > produced by sunlight shining on mist or rain
rainbowOE
limb1801
beam1843
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > archery > [noun] > type of bow > specific part
limb1801
1801 T. Roberts Eng. Bowman iv. v. 142 The English bow-makers have, generally, placed the upper part of the handle..above the exact center of the bow; which..makes the lower limb so much longer. The reason..is..in order to make both limbs act equally.
1823 W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. Northern Whale Fishery 23 A little before sunset, a weather-gall (or the limb of a rain-bow), of extraordinary brilliancy, appeared.
1939 P. H. Gordon New Archery i. ii. 10 Here the bows were long and angular in the top limb, short and rigid in the lower.
1972 T. Foy Beginner's Guide to Archery iii. 26 Determine which limb of the bow should be at the top, which can be done by looking at the handle.
1991 Peterson's Bowhunting Dec. 14/3 In the evolution of the longbow, bowyers concentrated on limb design to improve cast.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
limbn.2
/lɪm/, U.S. /lɪm/ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > hell > [noun] > region bordering
limboa1400
limbusc1440
limbc1450
bolge1881
c1450 Mirour Saluacioun 492 (1888) 18 For sawles fro helles Lymbe shuld passe maugre thaire foos.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid vi. Prol. 92 The Lymb of faderis auld, With Lymbus puerorum.
1528 D. Lindsay Dreme 360 That was the Lymbe, in the quhilk did remaine Our Fore-fatheris, because Adam offendit.
1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 8 The fatheris, quha war abyddand, in the limbe and place of rest.
1600 J. Hamilton Facile Traictise sig. ★3 To hyd the deliuerance of the patriarches and vthers Iust men, in the auld law, out of the lymbe of the fathers.
1797 Encycl. Brit. X. at Limb Limbus... The limb of the patriarchs... The limb of infants dying without baptism.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > edge, border, or margin > [noun] > that which forms the edge or border
lista700
edge1502
borderc1540
verge1573
skirt1576
brim?1610
limb1644
edging1684
bordure1691
bordage1860
bordering1862
rimming1868
skirting1872
1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. xxx. 265 There must appeare at the bottome of the paper, a lembe of deepe blew.
3. In scientific use; The edge or boundary of a surface.
a. gen.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > edge, border, or margin > [noun]
brerdc1000
hemc1200
barmc1340
cantc1375
margina1382
boardc1400
borderc1400
brinkc1420
edgea1450
verge1459
brim1525
rind1530
margent1538
abuttal1545
marge1551
skirt1566
lip1592
skirt1598
limb1704
phylactery1715
rim1745
rand1829
1704 I. Newton Opticks ii. ii. 40 The violet and blue at the exterior limbs of each Ring, and the red and yellow at the interior.
1791 W. Bartram Trav. N. & S. Carolina 501 Their ears are lacerated, separating the border or cartelaginous limb.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 268 Disk, the middle of a surface. Limb, the circumference. Margin, the extreme sides.
1831 London Lit. Gaz. 15 Jan. 40/3 The points thus formed being carefully marked on the limb of the circle, the intervals are then subdivided [etc.].
b. The graduated edge of a quadrant or similar instrument.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > measuring altitude > [noun] > quadrant or sextant > part of quadrant or sextant
quadrat?c1400
geometrical square?a1560
plummet?a1560
limb1593
line of shadows1728
limbus1738
horizon-glass1774
1593 T. Fale Horologiographia f. 50v The 63d. 30m. of the limbe of the Quadrant.
1594 T. Blundeville Exercises vii. xx. f. 318v The limbe of the Mariners Astrolabe is traced..with three Circles, making two spaces to containe therein the degrees and numbers of altitude.
1690 W. Leybourn Cursus mathematicus f. 715v The Limb of the Quadrant is divided into 90..Degrees.
1774 M. Mackenzie Treat. Maritim Surv. 34 Mark down the Degrees and Minutes shewn on the Limb.
1837 W. Whewell Hist. Inductive Sci. I. 199 Instruments were soon invented for measuring angles, by means of circles, which had a border, or limb, divided into equal parts.
c. The edge of the disk of a heavenly body, esp. of the sun and moon.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > heavenly body > [noun] > disc > edge of
limba1676
a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) iv. viii. 364 The perception of Sense..judgeth..the Limb of the Heavenly Horizon to be contiguous to the Earth.
1715 tr. D. Gregory Elements Astron. I. i. §19. 39 The eastern limb of the Moon will first cover the western of the Sun, and the western of the Moon will last uncover the eastern limb of the Sun.
1768 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued II. i. 91 When astronomers in describing an eclipse talk of the shadow of the earth touching the outer limb of the moon.
1812 R. Woodhouse Elem. Treat. Astron. xi. 90 The lower limb of the Sun when setting.
1879 S. Newcomb & E. S. Holden Astron. for Schools & Coll. 301 Similar prominences were seen about the sun's limb.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles I. xii. 153 The sun's lower limb was just free of the hill.
d. Botany. The lamina or expanded portion of a monopetalous corolla, of a petal or sepal. Also, the lamina or blade of a leaf.
ΚΠ
1735 W. Pardon Dyche's New Gen. Eng. Dict. Limb,..among the Florists, 'tis the Edge of Leaves, Flowers, &c.
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. i. iii. 7 One Petal; it consists of two Parts, viz...the Limb, or upper Part, which usually spreads wider.
1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. I. 6 The upper large part of the petal is termed the limb, and the lower the claw.
1872 D. Oliver Lessons Elem. Bot. (new ed.) i. vii. 85 In a gamopetalous corolla..the lower united portion is called the tube; the free divisions, which indicate the number of parts cohering, the limb.
e. Zoology. In trilobites (see quot.)
ΚΠ
1877 T. H. Huxley Man. Anat. Invertebrated Animals vi. 258 The limb, or lateral area on either side [of the glabellum] answers to a thoracic pleuron.
1877 T. H. Huxley Man. Anat. Invertebrated Animals vi. 259 The limb is thus divided into two parts—one fixed.., attached to the glabellum; the other separable.., on which the eye is placed.
Compounds
limb-darkening n. Astronomy the apparent darkening of the face of the sun towards its edges.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > sun > sunlight > [noun] > limb-darkening
limb-darkening1931
1931 Monthly Notices Royal Astron. Soc. XCI. 893 I(x) is of the form a−mx (limb darkening linearly proportional to distance from the centre).
1938 Astrophysical Jrnl. 87 45 (heading) The effect of an adiabatic layer upon solar limb darkening.
1962 Sci. Surv. 3 103 Visual observations..show that the sun's disc is brightest at the centre, becoming gradually dimmer towards the outer edge, or limb. This phenomenon is known as limb darkening, and is due to the fact that we look less and less deeply into the hotter layers of the sun as we view its surface more obliquely.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
limbv.
/lɪm/, U.S. /lɪm/ 1. transitive.
a. To pull limb from limb; to dismember. Also with up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > maiming or mutilation > maim or mutilate [verb (transitive)]
wemc900
slaya1000
alithOE
hamblea1050
belimbc1225
dismember1297
lamec1300
maimc1325
shearc1330
unablec1380
emblemishc1384
magglec1425
magc1450
demember1491
disablea1492
manglea1500
menyie?a1513
mayhem1533
mutilatec1570
martyr1592
stump1596
bemaim1605
cripplea1616
martyrize1615
deartuate1623
hamstring1641
becripple1660
limb1674
truncate1727
dislimb1855
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge To Rdr. As the one had wrackt and limm'd my thoughts..so had the other nipt in my soul and shrivell'd up my thoughts.
1693 G. Smallridge in J. Dryden tr. Plutarch Lives (rev. ed.) IV. 482 They..ran..up and down the City, to find out the Men, and Limb them.
1731 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II To limb, to pull limb from limb.
1885 S. Tromholt Aurora Borealis I. 172 The intestines being taken out, the trunk is limbed up..each joint being skilfully dissected.
1888 Daily News 10 Sept. 7/1 As to hearing the defendant threaten to ‘limb’ the complainant.
b. To remove branches from (a tree).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > trees: prune or lop
sneda800
shredc1000
crop?c1225
purgec1384
parea1398
shear1398
shridea1425
dodc1440
polla1449
twist1483
top1509
stow1513
lop1519
bough?1523
head?1523
poll-shred1530
prune1547
prime1565
twig1570
reform1574
disbranch1575
shroud1577
snathe1609
detruncate1623
amputate1638
abnodate1656
duba1661
to strip up1664
reprune1666
pollard1670
shrub1682
log1699
switch1811
limb1835
preen1847
to cut back1871
shrig1873
brash1950
summer prune1980
1835 H. Evans Jrnl. 2 July in Mississippi Valley Hist. Rev. (1927) XIV. 202 Weather beaten cotton wood trees limbed and shattered by the storms of the prairies.
1839 E. Holmes Rep. Explor. Aroostook River 53 The best mode undoubtedly is to fall the trees and ‘limb’ them (that is, cut off the limbs,) in June.
1889 Harper's Mag. Jan. 231/1 It seemed to be built principally of alder poles well limbed off and placed, roughly speaking, side by side.
1971 Timber Trades Jrnl. 3 Apr. 58/2 The chainsaw has long been used for limbing hardwoods.
ΚΠ
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 352 As they please, They Limb themselves, and colour, shape or size Assume, as likes them best. View more context for this quotation
3. transitive. To be a limb (or limbs) to; to furnish with limbs.
ΚΠ
1909 G. L. Raymond Dante & Coll. Verse 291 We were like two arms that limb one frame.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.1971
n.2c1450
v.1667- canace
- canad
- canada
- canada balsam
- canada day
- canada goldenrod
- canada goose
- canada grouse
- canada hemp
- canada indian
- canada jay
- canada lily
- canada lynx
- canada pitch
- canada potato
- canada rice
- canada snakeroot
- canada stag
- canada tea
- canada thistle
- canada true love
- canada turpentine
- canada violet
- canadas
- canader