limbern.¹

Brit.

/ˈlɪmbə/, U.S.

/ˈlɪmbər/

Forms: Middle English lymor(e, Middle English–1500s lymour, 1500s lymowr, lym(m)er, Scottish lymnar, 1500s–1600s, 1800s limmer, 1800s limber.

Etymology: Of obscure origin. The French limon = sense 1 below; the derivative limonière means ‘the shafts and connected framework of a vehicle’. If the form lymnar in Douglas be genuine, it may be an adoption of limonière, and perhaps the forms lymour, etc., though recorded earlier, may be corruptions of this.

a. The shaft of a cart or carriage. Obsolete exc. dialect.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > parts of cart or carriage > [noun] > shaft(s) or pole

thillc1325

limber1480

sway1535

neap1553

draught-tree1580

wain-beam1589

beam1600

fills1609

spire1609

foreteam?1611

verge1611

shaft1613

rangy1657

pole1683

thrill1688

trill1688

rod1695

range1702

neb1710

sharp1733

tram1766

carriage pole1767

sill1787

tongue1792

nib1808

dissel-boom1822

tongue-tree1829

reach1869

wain-stang1876

1480 Wardrobe Accts. Edward IV in N. H. Nicolas Privy Purse Expenses Elizabeth of York (1830) 123 A crouper for the lymour, price iiijs.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. vi. 23 The cartis stand with lymowris bendyt strek.

?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) i. l. 421 in Shorter Poems (1967) 34 The lymnuris [1579 Edinb. Lymnaris][of the chariot] wer of byrnyst gold.

1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 250 They made him carie a limmer on his showlders that is fastened to the axeltree of a coche [= coach].

1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Timóne,..the limmer or beame of a Wagon or Waine.

1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 982 [article Pitcoal] The rolley horses have a peculiar kind of shafts, commonly made of iron, named limbers, the purpose of which is to prevent the carriage from overrunning them.

1860 Eng. & Foreign Mining Gloss. (new ed.) (Newcastle Terms) Limmer's, the shafts by which the horses draw.

†b. Short for limber-horse n. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by purpose used for > [noun] > draught-horse > team of > horse(s) attached to or between shafts

thill-horsec1325

limoneer1524

thiller1552

body horse1558

fill-horse1600

limber1632

filler1695

pole horse1725

shaft-horse1769

wheel-pair1794

wheeler1813

shafter1840

1632 R. Sherwood Dict. in R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues (new ed.) A limmer, limonier. Voyez a Thill-horse.

2. Military. (In early use plural) The detachable fore part of a gun-carriage, consisting of two wheels and an axle, a pole for the horses, and a frame which holds one or two ammunition-chests. It is attached to the trail of the gun-carriage proper by a hook.Quot. 1628 seems to be an erroneous explanation.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > gun carriage > [noun] > fore part

limber1497

1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 84 ij paire lymores with boltes forlokkes kayes lynces and a taile pynne for the said Curtowe.

1578 W. Bourne Inuentions xcvi. 85 The Lymers that the horses doth draw in.

1628 R. Norton Gunner lix. 130 The sides and Cheekes [of the Cariage] called Limbers.

1801 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) I. 325 A six-pounder, its carriage and limber, and ammunition in the limber box.

1851 Orders & Regulations Royal Engineers (rev. ed.) xix. 96 Twelve pieces of Field Artillery, with their Carriages and Limbers.

1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 103 No. 7 attends the limber and serves ammunition.

Compounds

C1. General attributive. (See sense 1b).

† limber croup n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1483 Wardr. Acc. in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory (1807) I. 47 Lymour crowps..Lymour pilows.

† limber hame n. Obsolete

limber pillow n.

ΚΠ

1483 Wardr. Acc. in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory (1807) I. 47 Lymour crowps..Lymour pilows.

C2.

limber-box n.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > ammunition chest

caisson1704

laboratory chest1769

cassoon1801

limber-box1801

limber-chest1888

1801Limber-box [see sense 2].

1876 J. Grant Hist. India I. xxiv. 129/1 Wood's field-guns had only five rounds left in the limber-boxes.

limber-chest n. Military the ammunition box carried by a limber.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > ammunition chest

caisson1704

laboratory chest1769

cassoon1801

limber-box1801

limber-chest1888

1888 Cent. Mag. May 103/2 Some of whom [the enemy], springing nimbly on his limber~chests, shot down his horses and then his men.

limber-hook n. (see quot.).

ΚΠ

1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) at Limber At the back of the limber is an iron hook or pintle, termed a limber-hook, to which the trail of the gun carriage is attached... The limber-hook is stated to have been invented..in 1804.

Categories »

limber-horse n. dialect the horse which is placed between the shafts.

† limber-plank n. Military Obsolete (see quot.).

ΚΠ

1628 R. Norton Gunner lx. 131 The Limber Planks or sides of the Cariage must be 4 and a halfe, or 5 dyametres broad, one thicke.

limber-saddle n. a cart-saddle.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > types of saddle

mail-saddle1360

trotter-saddle1381

panel1393

loadsaddle1397

packsaddle1398

limber-saddle1480

pillion1480

side-saddle1493

steel saddle1503

pilgate1511

mail pillowc1532

stock-saddle1537

pad1556

sunk1568

trunk-saddle1569

soda1586

mail pillion1586

running saddle1596

Scotch saddle1596

postilion saddle1621

pad-saddle1622

portmanteau-saddle1681

watering saddle1681

cart-saddle1692

demi-pique1695

crook-saddle1700

saddle pad1750

recado1825

aparejo1844

mountain saddle1849

somerset1851

pilch1863

cowboy saddle1880

sawbuck (pack)saddle1881

western saddle1883

cross-saddle1897

centre-fire1921

McClellan1940

poley1957

1480 Wardrobe Accts. Edward IV in N. H. Nicolas Privy Purse Expenses Elizabeth of York (1830) 123 For a lymour sadell price vs.; for a payre lymour hamys garnissht xviijd.

1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. vi. 113 The flap of a limber saddle rolling up, and galling your calf.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

limbern.²

Brit.

/ˈlɪmbə/, U.S.

/ˈlɪmbər/

Etymology: ? a corruption of French lumière hole, perforation (lit. ‘light’), used in nautical contexts in the same application.

Nautical.

One of a series of holes cut through the floor-timbers on each side of the keelson to form a passage for water to the pump-well.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > timbers of hull > floor timber(s) > hole to allow passage of water

limber1626

limber-hole1626

1626 [see limber-hole n. at Compounds]. 1711 [see limber-board n. at Compounds].

1729 W. Wriglesworth MS. Log-bk. of ‘Lyell’ 6 Sept. Cleared the Limbers in the Forehold.

c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 63 See the limbers are clear, and limber boards shipped.

1898 F. T. Bullen Cruise ‘Cachalot’ xxv. 326 The ship..never made a drop of water more than just sufficient to sweeten the limbers.

Compounds

attributive in spec. combinations.

limber-board n. (see quots.).

ΚΠ

1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 70 One Strake next the Limber Boards.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Limber-boards, short pieces of plank, which form a part of the ceiling, or lining of a ship's floor... They are..removed, when it becomes necessary, to..clear the limber-holes of any filth..or gravel, by which they may be clogged.

c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 69 The limber boards..cover these channels or ‘limbers’, and serve to keep dirt out, which would soon choke the pumps.

Thesaurus »

Categories »

limber-chain n. a chain used like a limber-rope (Webster, 1864).

limber-hole n. Nautical = main sense.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > timbers of hull > floor timber(s) > hole to allow passage of water

limber1626

limber-hole1626

1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 8 Then lay all the Flore timbers, and cut your Limber holes aboue the keele, to bring the water to the well for the pumpe.

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Limbers Every floor-timber has two limber-holes cut through it, viz. one on each side of the kelson.

1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding v. 79 The limber-holes in the floor-plates are, as a general rule, cut above the frame angle~iron.

limber-passage n. Nautical the passage or channel formed by the limber-strakes on each side of the keelson.

ΚΠ

1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 129 Limber-passage, a passage or channel formed throughout the whole length of the floor, on each side of the kelson, for giving water a free communication to the pumps.

limber-rope n. Nautical a rope passing through the limber-holes, by which they may be cleared of dirt.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > rope for cleaning limber-holes

keel-rope1352

limber-rope1769

limber-chain1864

1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Limber-Rope, a long rope, frequently retained in the limber-holes..in order to clear them by pulling the rope backwards and forwards.

1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 114.

limber-strake n. (also limber-streak) Nautical (see quots. and strake n.¹).

ΚΠ

1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 404/2 The limber strake.

1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 114 Limber~streak, the streak of foot-waling nearest the keelson.

1874 S. J. P. Thearle Naval Archit. (new ed.) I. 55 The limber strakes, while constituting a longitudinal tie over the floors, served also to form watercourses on each side of the keel, leading to the pumps.

limber-tar n. (see quot.).

ΚΠ

1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Limber Tar, the bilge-water or refuse found in the hold of a ship that imports tar, which has drained from the casks during the voyage.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

limberadj.

Brit.

/ˈlɪmbə/, U.S.

/ˈlɪmbər/

Forms: Also 1500s limmer, lymmer, 1500s–1600s lymber.

Etymology: Of obscure origin; Skeat suggests connection with limp adj., which, however, has not been found before 1706; it may perhaps be some compound of limb n.¹ (compare the derivation of leathwake adj. < lith n.⁵, limb). Compare also the synonymous limmock dialect.

a. Easily bent (without damage to shape or structure); flexible, pliant, supple.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [adjective]

tougha700

lithyc1000

softc1330

weak?a1366

plianta1382

persha1398

plyinga1398

lithec1400

supplec1400

plicable?a1425

curvable?1440

lethec1440

scretec1440

pliablec1475

bowable1483

bowing1483

waldinc1485

supple1513

flexible1548

limber1565

lither1565

bending1567

osier1577

wiry1588

buxom1590

withy1598

suppliable1599

renderingc1600

fluxible1607

winding1609

bendable1611

flippant1622

flexive1629

flexile1633

maniable1633

compliant1667

flectible1705

limp1706

yieldy1757

complying1774

limberly1782

willowy1791

switchy1810

wandy1825

twistable1853

bendsome1861

whippy1867

swack1868

bendy1873

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Lentus, softe, tender, pliant, that boweth easely, limber [etc.].

1567 G. Turberville Epitaphes, Epigrams f. 87 The Bargeman that doth rowe with long and limber Oare.

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iv. lxxx. 543 The roote..tough and limmer, and harde to breake.

1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball v. xxxii. 591 The Gourde hath long limmer stalkes.

1657 R. Austen Treat. Fruit-trees (ed. 2) 50 Do not prune off the side Branches, lest the body of the plant be too small, and limber to beare his head.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 476 Those wav'd thir limber fans For wings.

1684 R. Boyle Exper. Porosity of Bodies v. 46 With another piece of the same Bladder, made limber by being a little wetted in common water.

1722 W. Cheselden Anat. Humane Body (ed. 2) i. i. 7 I..found..in one instance several of the Bones as limber as Leather.

1738 G. Smith Curious Relations II. v. 108 A Sort of Paper..as fine and limber as Silk.

1787 J. Farley London Art Cookery (ed. 4) 7 The feet [of a goose] will be limber, if it be fresh, but stiff and dry if old.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxx. 111 That the [new] ropes might have time to stretch and become limber.

1872 J. S. Blackie Lays of Highlands 73 Ye Norsemen brave That ply the limber oar.

b. Of persons, their bodies, movements, etc.: Bending or moving easily; lithe and nimble.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [adjective]

leathwakec1000

lithebyc1000

starka1275

stiffc1305

standing1340

bainc1440

waldinc1485

resolveda1500

supplea1500

lash1513

limber1582

sagging1599

laxed1623

unslakeda1625

laxated1652

springy1674

gangling1764

lithesome1768

swack1768

unslackened1770

lissoma1800

wandle1803

loose-limbed1823

loose1846

unslacked1848

saggy1853

loose-jointed1859

loose-hung1869

gangly1871

1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis iv. 70 Limber in her whisking..shee soars vp nimblye toe skyward.

1596 M. Drayton Mortimeriados sig. Q 1 With pretty turns their lymber bodies bending.

1607 B. Jonson Volpone iii. i. sig. F3 I could skip Out of my skinne, now, like a subtill snake, I am so limber.

1635 L. Foxe North-west Fox sig. Ee^v The Sunne shone, and thawed our men, and made them more limber.

1694 J. Crowne Married Beau ii. 20 Methinks you are As limber in your Tongue, as in your Hams.

1736 T. Carte Hist. Life Duke Ormonde II. 549 At getting up, he took notice..that his legs were more limber and bended with greater ease.

1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle II. xlviii. 78 The Italian..a thin, limber creature.

1816 S. T. Coleridge Christabel ii. Concl. 47 A little child, a limber elf.

1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby I. i. i. 3 A limber and graceful figure.

1859 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. J. E. Robert-Houdin Mem. iii. 27 The fingers remaining perfectly free and limber.

1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche i. xiv. 6 Her comely boy, The limber scion of the God of War.

†c. In unfavourable sense, of things which are properly firm or crisp: Limp, flaccid, flabby.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > types of softness > [adjective] > flabby or flaccid

bloatc1300

quavya1398

lennow1528

fobbya1535

flaggya1565

limber1592

quaggy1611

flaccid1620

frothy1626

boggy1664

flabby1697

limp1706

loppy1855

limpsy1865

huffy1890

1592 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) vii. xxxvii. 165 My limber wings were Leather-like vnplum'de.

1602 T. Dekker Blurt Master-Constable sig. B4 Lymber, like the skinne of a white pudding when the meate is out.

1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick i. xv. 20 Flowers are..to be gathered..before they wax limber.

1736 N. Bailey Dict. Domesticum 195 Observe to clap very quick and very hard, for if you let them dry they will be limber.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery xxi. 163 A Rabbit if stale, will be limber and slimy; if new, white and stiff.

2. figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective]

unfastc888

unstathelfasteOE

unsteadfasta1200

fleeting?c1225

changeablea1275

ficklea1275

unstablec1290

waveringc1315

flickerc1325

loose in the haftc1325

motleyc1380

unsadc1384

variablea1387

variantc1386

ticklec1400

inconstant1402

flitting1413

brittle1420

plianta1425

mutablec1425

shittle1440

shittle-witted1448

moonishc1450

unconstant1483

unfirm1483

varying?a1500

pliablea1513

fluctuant1575

changeling1577

shittle-headed1580

cheverel1583

off and on1583

chameleon-like1589

changeful1590

limber1602

unsteady1604

ticklish1606

skittish1609

startling1619

labile1623

uncertaina1625

cheverelized1625

remuant1625

fluctuate1631

fluctuary1632

various1636

contrarious1643

epileptical1646

fluxilea1654

shittle-braineda1655

multivolent1656

totter-headed1662

on and off1668

self-inconsistent1678

weathercocka1680

whifflinga1680

versatile1682

veering1684

fast and loose1697

inconsistent1709

insteadfast1728

unfixing1810

unsteadied1814

chameleonic1821

labefact1874

ballastless1884

weathercocky1886

whiffle-minded1902

1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. B3 Confusion to these limber Sycophants.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 48 You put me off with limber Vowes.

a1639 Wotton in J. Gutch Collectanea Curiosa (1781) I. 219 He had tryed and found him a Prince of limber virtues.

1695 C. Leslie Remarks Some Late Serm. 2 Men of limber and pliable Consciences can easily do this.

1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth II. 244 Tho' both in his Sense, and his Loyalty limber.

1858 H. Bushnell Serm. for New Life 250 His whole nature becomes limber and quick to his love.

1887 M. B. Betham-Edwards Next of Kin Wanted I. xx. 272 [He] proved limber as a withy in her hands.

†3. quasi-n. Limber quality, limberness. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [noun]

starknessOE

lithenessa1464

mobility1528

leathwakeness1548

stiffness1552

supplement1583

suppleness1603

spring1641

limber1786

lubricity1809

limberness1835

lissomness1857

1786 A. M. Bennett Juvenile Indiscretions I. 12 The whole depth of his talents laying in the mere limber of his tongue.

Compounds

C1. limber-backed, limber-footed, limber-legged adjs.

ΚΠ

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 96 The Himantopodes be some of them limber legged and tender.

1720 Humourist 162 A poor limber-back'd Beau.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery xxi. 162 The Duck..if new, limber footed; if stale, dry footed.

1904 Westm. Gaz. 8 May 14/2 Here leaps the limber-footed, listening hare.

C2.

limber-neck n. a kind of botulism affecting poultry, caused by the toxin produced by a type of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of birds > [noun] > disorders of poultry

roup1551

squeck1577

gargil1614

roup1614

the gapes1799

garget1817

snifters1844

white comb1853

bumble foot1854

wry-tail1880

blackhead1894

bacillary white diarrhoea1909

limber-neck1910

(avian or fowl) leucosis complex1922

pullorum1929

perosis1931

fowl paralysis1932

scissor beak1934

blue comb1939

hexamitiasis1941

pullet disease1941

Marek's disease1947

new wheat disease1950

X disease1950

sour crop1951

fowl cholera-

1910 C. S. Valentine How to keep Hens for Profit 271 The disease called ‘limberneck’, in which the affected bird is unable to control the head, which droops to the ground, is said by many who have had large experience with it to be the result of stomach irritation brought on by eating maggots.

1927 E. T. Brown ‘How to do it’ Poultry Bk. xxiii. 242 Limberneck or false cholera..is due entirely to a form of poisoning.

1931 S. Dickinson & H. R. Lewis Poultry Enterprises ix. 216 When flies and maggots infest putrid meat and other spoiled feeds, fowls eating them are likely to show symptoms of limber neck disease.

1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) xx. 296 These types [of botulism toxin] are also most often responsible for ‘limber-neck’ of chickens and ducks.

Derivatives

ˈlimberness n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [noun]

pliantnessa1398

bowablenessc1475

limberness1565

bowingness1580

pliableness1581

suppleness1584

flexibility1616

pliancy1632

flexure1651

flexility1660

pliability1725

compliancy1793

facility1853

yieldiness1857

whippiness1881

bonelessness1928

the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [noun]

starknessOE

lithenessa1464

mobility1528

leathwakeness1548

stiffness1552

supplement1583

suppleness1603

spring1641

limber1786

lubricity1809

limberness1835

lissomness1857

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Lentitia, softenesse, pliantnesse, limbernesse.

1669 R. Boyle Contin. New Exper. Physico-mech. i. 160 The limberness of them [the sides of a bladder] would permit the Air to accommodate it self and the Bladder to the Figure of a Cylindrical vessel.

1743 W. Ellis Suppl. to London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) 278 In this [trough] oaken Planks are laid for the confin'd Steam of hot Water..to impregnate and reduce them to a Limberness.

1835 M. Scott in Blackwood's Mag. 37 460 The extreme pliancy and eel-like limberness, if I may so speak, of the whole body.

1889 F. M. Crawford Greifenstein I. viii, 236 He has the most surprising limberness of wrist.

Draft additions 1997

limber pine n. a North American mountain pine, Pinus flexilis, with a short, stout trunk and short, flexible branches.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > pines and allies

pine treeeOE

pineOE

pine-nut treec1330

pineapplec1390

pineapple treea1398

mountain pine1597

pine1597

mountain pine1601

frankincense1611

rosin flower?1611

black pine1683

Scotch pine1706

yellow pine1709

Jersey pine1743

loblolly pine1760

mugoa1768

Scots pine1774

Scotch fir1777

arrow plant1779

scrub pine1791

Georgia pine1796

old field pine1797

tamarack1805

grey pine1810

pond pine1810

New Jersey pine1818

loblolly1819

Corsican pine1824

celery-top pine1827

toatoa1831

heavy-wooded pine1836

nut pine1845

celery pine1851

celery-topped pine1851

sugar-pine1853

western white pine1857

Jeffrey1858

Korean pine1858

lodge-pole pine1859

jack pine1863

whitebark pine1864

twisted pine1866

Monterey pine1868

tanekaha1875

chir1882

slash-pine1882

celery-leaved pine1883

knee-pine1884

knobcone pine1884

matsu1884

meadow pine1884

Alaska pine1890

limber pine1901

bristlecone pine1908

o-matsu1916

insignis1920

radiata1953

1901 A. Rehder in Cycl. Amer. Hort.: E–M 1351/1 [Pinus] flexilis, James. Limber Pine... Seems to be best adapted for ornamental planting on rocky slopes.

1961 R. M. Patterson Buffalo Head iv. 138 Away out on this point stood a very old limber pine.

1991 Montana June 79/3 The drama is heightened by the bizarre shapes of gale-battered limberpine and whitebark pine clinging tenaciously to exposed slopes and ridges.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

limberv.¹

Brit.

/ˈlɪmbə/, U.S.

/ˈlɪmbər/

Etymology: < limber adj.

transitive. To make limber, pliant, or supple. Also with up, and intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [verb (transitive)]

leesea1325

lithe1362

unloosec1390

relax?a1425

supple1526

supply1534

nimble1581

relaxate1598

lax1661

limber1748

unstiffen1855

untense1970

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. lxiv. 312 Her stiff hams..are now limber'd into courtesies three-deep at every word.

1872 O. W. Holmes Poet at Breakfast-table (1885) iii. 60 She worked her wrists..to limber 'em.

1883 F. M. Crawford Mr. Isaacs viii. 164 The stiffest arms can be limbered.

1929 P. G. Wodehouse Mr. Mulliner Speaking ii. 64 He waggled his right leg for a moment to limber it up, backed a pace or two and crept forward.

1957 Oxf. Pocket Bk. Athletic Training (ed. 2) 27 An athlete who fails to limber-up properly deliberately handicaps himself.

1962 Listener 29 Mar. 566/1 As images and figures in compositions..they limber or stretch or occasionally pose.

1971 R. Dentry Encounter at Kharmel i. 1 He did twenty four half knee-bends to limber up.

Derivatives

ˈlimbering adj. and n. (also limbering-up)

ΚΠ

1753 Ess. Celibacy 39 They exempt themselves from the free and limbering situations and circumstances of action.

1901 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 8 Oct. 3/2 When her machinery is limbered up after it has been used a while she will do much better.

1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 5 Apr. 10/2 During the recent fine weather several of the [tennis club] members have been out limbering up after the inactivities of the Winter months.

1921 Blackwood's Mag. Aug. 262/1 Dempsey had passed the afternoon in a ‘limbering-up hike’.

1927 Dancing Times Dec. 301/1 Most dance students know that limbering is the basis for every kind of dance work.

1963 H. Garner in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 23 The limbering up we were getting from our work.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

limberv.²

Brit.

/ˈlɪmbə/, U.S.

/ˈlɪmbər/

Etymology: < limber n.¹

Military.

transitive. To attach the limber to (a gun). Hence absol. to fasten together the two parts of a gun-carriage, as a preparation for moving away. Usually to limber up.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > operate artillery [verb (intransitive)] > attach parts of gun to carriage

limber1842

society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > operate (artillery) [verb (transitive)] > mount on carriage > attach limber to

limber1842

1842 C. J. Lever Jack Hinton in Dublin Univ. Mag. Mar. 315/1 The heavy artillery was seen to limber up, and move slowly across the field.

1851 Orders & Regulations Royal Engineers (rev. ed.) xix. 95 Breadth of Shed, Guns limbered up..40 ft. 0 in.

1861 Man. Field Exercise Artillery 50 Limbering is always done at a trot.

1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea II. xvi. 470 The guns of Turner's battery were limbered up and pushed forward.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹1480

n.²1626

adj.1565

v.¹1748

v.²1842

单词	limber
释义	limbern.¹ Brit. /ˈlɪmbə/, U.S. /ˈlɪmbər/ Forms: Middle English lymor(e, Middle English–1500s lymour, 1500s lymowr, lym(m)er, Scottish lymnar, 1500s–1600s, 1800s limmer, 1800s limber. Etymology: Of obscure origin. The French limon = sense 1 below; the derivative limonière means ‘the shafts and connected framework of a vehicle’. If the form lymnar in Douglas be genuine, it may be an adoption of limonière, and perhaps the forms lymour, etc., though recorded earlier, may be corruptions of this. 1. a. The shaft of a cart or carriage. Obsolete exc. dialect. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > parts of cart or carriage > [noun] > shaft(s) or pole thillc1325 limber1480 sway1535 neap1553 draught-tree1580 wain-beam1589 beam1600 fills1609 spire1609 foreteam?1611 verge1611 shaft1613 rangy1657 pole1683 thrill1688 trill1688 rod1695 range1702 neb1710 sharp1733 tram1766 carriage pole1767 sill1787 tongue1792 nib1808 dissel-boom1822 tongue-tree1829 reach1869 wain-stang1876 1480 Wardrobe Accts. Edward IV in N. H. Nicolas Privy Purse Expenses Elizabeth of York (1830) 123 A crouper for the lymour, price iiijs. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. vi. 23 The cartis stand with lymowris bendyt strek. ?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) i. l. 421 in Shorter Poems (1967) 34 The lymnuris [1579 Edinb. Lymnaris][of the chariot] wer of byrnyst gold. 1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 250 They made him carie a limmer on his showlders that is fastened to the axeltree of a coche [= coach]. 1611 J. Florio Queen Anna's New World of Words Timóne,..the limmer or beame of a Wagon or Waine. 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 982 [article Pitcoal] The rolley horses have a peculiar kind of shafts, commonly made of iron, named limbers, the purpose of which is to prevent the carriage from overrunning them. 1860 Eng. & Foreign Mining Gloss. (new ed.) (Newcastle Terms) Limmer's, the shafts by which the horses draw. †b. Short for limber-horse n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by purpose used for > [noun] > draught-horse > team of > horse(s) attached to or between shafts thill-horsec1325 limoneer1524 thiller1552 body horse1558 fill-horse1600 limber1632 filler1695 pole horse1725 shaft-horse1769 wheel-pair1794 wheeler1813 shafter1840 1632 R. Sherwood Dict. in R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues (new ed.) A limmer, limonier. Voyez a Thill-horse. 2. Military. (In early use plural) The detachable fore part of a gun-carriage, consisting of two wheels and an axle, a pole for the horses, and a frame which holds one or two ammunition-chests. It is attached to the trail of the gun-carriage proper by a hook.Quot. 1628 seems to be an erroneous explanation. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > gun carriage > [noun] > fore part limber1497 1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 84 ij paire lymores with boltes forlokkes kayes lynces and a taile pynne for the said Curtowe. 1578 W. Bourne Inuentions xcvi. 85 The Lymers that the horses doth draw in. 1628 R. Norton Gunner lix. 130 The sides and Cheekes [of the Cariage] called Limbers. 1801 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) I. 325 A six-pounder, its carriage and limber, and ammunition in the limber box. 1851 Orders & Regulations Royal Engineers (rev. ed.) xix. 96 Twelve pieces of Field Artillery, with their Carriages and Limbers. 1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 103 No. 7 attends the limber and serves ammunition. Compounds C1. General attributive. (See sense 1b). † limber croup n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1483 Wardr. Acc. in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory (1807) I. 47 Lymour crowps..Lymour pilows. † limber hame n. Obsolete limber pillow n. ΚΠ 1483 Wardr. Acc. in Grose's Antiquarian Repertory (1807) I. 47 Lymour crowps..Lymour pilows. C2. limber-box n. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > ammunition chest caisson1704 laboratory chest1769 cassoon1801 limber-box1801 limber-chest1888 1801Limber-box [see sense 2]. 1876 J. Grant Hist. India I. xxiv. 129/1 Wood's field-guns had only five rounds left in the limber-boxes. limber-chest n. Military the ammunition box carried by a limber. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > ammunition chest caisson1704 laboratory chest1769 cassoon1801 limber-box1801 limber-chest1888 1888 Cent. Mag. May 103/2 Some of whom [the enemy], springing nimbly on his limber~chests, shot down his horses and then his men. limber-hook n. (see quot.). ΚΠ 1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) at Limber At the back of the limber is an iron hook or pintle, termed a limber-hook, to which the trail of the gun carriage is attached... The limber-hook is stated to have been invented..in 1804. Categories » limber-horse n. dialect the horse which is placed between the shafts. † limber-plank n. Military Obsolete (see quot.). ΚΠ 1628 R. Norton Gunner lx. 131 The Limber Planks or sides of the Cariage must be 4 and a halfe, or 5 dyametres broad, one thicke. limber-saddle n. a cart-saddle. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > types of saddle mail-saddle1360 trotter-saddle1381 panel1393 loadsaddle1397 packsaddle1398 limber-saddle1480 pillion1480 side-saddle1493 steel saddle1503 pilgate1511 mail pillowc1532 stock-saddle1537 pad1556 sunk1568 trunk-saddle1569 soda1586 mail pillion1586 running saddle1596 Scotch saddle1596 postilion saddle1621 pad-saddle1622 portmanteau-saddle1681 watering saddle1681 cart-saddle1692 demi-pique1695 crook-saddle1700 saddle pad1750 recado1825 aparejo1844 mountain saddle1849 somerset1851 pilch1863 cowboy saddle1880 sawbuck (pack)saddle1881 western saddle1883 cross-saddle1897 centre-fire1921 McClellan1940 poley1957 1480 Wardrobe Accts. Edward IV in N. H. Nicolas Privy Purse Expenses Elizabeth of York (1830) 123 For a lymour sadell price vs.; for a payre lymour hamys garnissht xviijd. 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life I. vi. 113 The flap of a limber saddle rolling up, and galling your calf. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022). limbern.² Brit. /ˈlɪmbə/, U.S. /ˈlɪmbər/ Etymology: ? a corruption of French lumière hole, perforation (lit. ‘light’), used in nautical contexts in the same application. Nautical. One of a series of holes cut through the floor-timbers on each side of the keelson to form a passage for water to the pump-well. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > timbers of hull > floor timber(s) > hole to allow passage of water limber1626 limber-hole1626 1626 [see limber-hole n. at Compounds]. 1711 [see limber-board n. at Compounds]. 1729 W. Wriglesworth MS. Log-bk. of ‘Lyell’ 6 Sept. Cleared the Limbers in the Forehold. c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 63 See the limbers are clear, and limber boards shipped. 1898 F. T. Bullen Cruise ‘Cachalot’ xxv. 326 The ship..never made a drop of water more than just sufficient to sweeten the limbers. Compounds attributive in spec. combinations. limber-board n. (see quots.). ΚΠ 1711 W. Sutherland Ship-builders Assistant 70 One Strake next the Limber Boards. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Limber-boards, short pieces of plank, which form a part of the ceiling, or lining of a ship's floor... They are..removed, when it becomes necessary, to..clear the limber-holes of any filth..or gravel, by which they may be clogged. c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 69 The limber boards..cover these channels or ‘limbers’, and serve to keep dirt out, which would soon choke the pumps. Thesaurus » Categories » limber-chain n. a chain used like a limber-rope (Webster, 1864). limber-hole n. Nautical = main sense. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > timbers of hull > floor timber(s) > hole to allow passage of water limber1626 limber-hole1626 1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 8 Then lay all the Flore timbers, and cut your Limber holes aboue the keele, to bring the water to the well for the pumpe. 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Limbers Every floor-timber has two limber-holes cut through it, viz. one on each side of the kelson. 1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuilding v. 79 The limber-holes in the floor-plates are, as a general rule, cut above the frame angle~iron. limber-passage n. Nautical the passage or channel formed by the limber-strakes on each side of the keelson. ΚΠ 1850 J. Greenwood Sailor's Sea-bk. 129 Limber-passage, a passage or channel formed throughout the whole length of the floor, on each side of the kelson, for giving water a free communication to the pumps. limber-rope n. Nautical a rope passing through the limber-holes, by which they may be cleared of dirt. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > ropes or chains other than rigging or cable > [noun] > rope for cleaning limber-holes keel-rope1352 limber-rope1769 limber-chain1864 1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Limber-Rope, a long rope, frequently retained in the limber-holes..in order to clear them by pulling the rope backwards and forwards. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 114. limber-strake n. (also limber-streak) Nautical (see quots. and strake n.¹). ΚΠ 1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 404/2 The limber strake. 1841 R. H. Dana Seaman's Man. 114 Limber~streak, the streak of foot-waling nearest the keelson. 1874 S. J. P. Thearle Naval Archit. (new ed.) I. 55 The limber strakes, while constituting a longitudinal tie over the floors, served also to form watercourses on each side of the keel, leading to the pumps. limber-tar n. (see quot.). ΚΠ 1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Limber Tar, the bilge-water or refuse found in the hold of a ship that imports tar, which has drained from the casks during the voyage. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online June 2022). limberadj. Brit. /ˈlɪmbə/, U.S. /ˈlɪmbər/ Forms: Also 1500s limmer, lymmer, 1500s–1600s lymber. Etymology: Of obscure origin; Skeat suggests connection with limp adj., which, however, has not been found before 1706; it may perhaps be some compound of limb n.¹ (compare the derivation of leathwake adj. < lith n.⁵, limb). Compare also the synonymous limmock dialect. 1. a. Easily bent (without damage to shape or structure); flexible, pliant, supple. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [adjective] tougha700 lithyc1000 softc1330 weak?a1366 plianta1382 persha1398 plyinga1398 lithec1400 supplec1400 plicable?a1425 curvable?1440 lethec1440 scretec1440 pliablec1475 bowable1483 bowing1483 waldinc1485 supple1513 flexible1548 limber1565 lither1565 bending1567 osier1577 wiry1588 buxom1590 withy1598 suppliable1599 renderingc1600 fluxible1607 winding1609 bendable1611 flippant1622 flexive1629 flexile1633 maniable1633 compliant1667 flectible1705 limp1706 yieldy1757 complying1774 limberly1782 willowy1791 switchy1810 wandy1825 twistable1853 bendsome1861 whippy1867 swack1868 bendy1873 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Lentus, softe, tender, pliant, that boweth easely, limber [etc.]. 1567 G. Turberville Epitaphes, Epigrams f. 87 The Bargeman that doth rowe with long and limber Oare. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iv. lxxx. 543 The roote..tough and limmer, and harde to breake. 1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball v. xxxii. 591 The Gourde hath long limmer stalkes. 1657 R. Austen Treat. Fruit-trees (ed. 2) 50 Do not prune off the side Branches, lest the body of the plant be too small, and limber to beare his head. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 476 Those wav'd thir limber fans For wings. View more context for this quotation 1684 R. Boyle Exper. Porosity of Bodies v. 46 With another piece of the same Bladder, made limber by being a little wetted in common water. 1722 W. Cheselden Anat. Humane Body (ed. 2) i. i. 7 I..found..in one instance several of the Bones as limber as Leather. 1738 G. Smith Curious Relations II. v. 108 A Sort of Paper..as fine and limber as Silk. 1787 J. Farley London Art Cookery (ed. 4) 7 The feet [of a goose] will be limber, if it be fresh, but stiff and dry if old. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xxx. 111 That the [new] ropes might have time to stretch and become limber. 1872 J. S. Blackie Lays of Highlands 73 Ye Norsemen brave That ply the limber oar. b. Of persons, their bodies, movements, etc.: Bending or moving easily; lithe and nimble. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [adjective] leathwakec1000 lithebyc1000 starka1275 stiffc1305 standing1340 bainc1440 waldinc1485 resolveda1500 supplea1500 lash1513 limber1582 sagging1599 laxed1623 unslakeda1625 laxated1652 springy1674 gangling1764 lithesome1768 swack1768 unslackened1770 lissoma1800 wandle1803 loose-limbed1823 loose1846 unslacked1848 saggy1853 loose-jointed1859 loose-hung1869 gangly1871 1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis iv. 70 Limber in her whisking..shee soars vp nimblye toe skyward. 1596 M. Drayton Mortimeriados sig. Q 1 With pretty turns their lymber bodies bending. 1607 B. Jonson Volpone iii. i. sig. F3 I could skip Out of my skinne, now, like a subtill snake, I am so limber. 1635 L. Foxe North-west Fox sig. Ee^v The Sunne shone, and thawed our men, and made them more limber. 1694 J. Crowne Married Beau ii. 20 Methinks you are As limber in your Tongue, as in your Hams. 1736 T. Carte Hist. Life Duke Ormonde II. 549 At getting up, he took notice..that his legs were more limber and bended with greater ease. 1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle II. xlviii. 78 The Italian..a thin, limber creature. 1816 S. T. Coleridge Christabel ii. Concl. 47 A little child, a limber elf. 1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby I. i. i. 3 A limber and graceful figure. 1859 F. C. L. Wraxall tr. J. E. Robert-Houdin Mem. iii. 27 The fingers remaining perfectly free and limber. 1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche i. xiv. 6 Her comely boy, The limber scion of the God of War. †c. In unfavourable sense, of things which are properly firm or crisp: Limp, flaccid, flabby. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > types of softness > [adjective] > flabby or flaccid bloatc1300 quavya1398 lennow1528 fobbya1535 flaggya1565 limber1592 quaggy1611 flaccid1620 frothy1626 boggy1664 flabby1697 limp1706 loppy1855 limpsy1865 huffy1890 1592 W. Warner Albions Eng. (rev. ed.) vii. xxxvii. 165 My limber wings were Leather-like vnplum'de. 1602 T. Dekker Blurt Master-Constable sig. B4 Lymber, like the skinne of a white pudding when the meate is out. 1658 tr. G. della Porta Nat. Magick i. xv. 20 Flowers are..to be gathered..before they wax limber. 1736 N. Bailey Dict. Domesticum 195 Observe to clap very quick and very hard, for if you let them dry they will be limber. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery xxi. 163 A Rabbit if stale, will be limber and slimy; if new, white and stiff. 2. figurative. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] unfastc888 unstathelfasteOE unsteadfasta1200 fleeting?c1225 changeablea1275 ficklea1275 unstablec1290 waveringc1315 flickerc1325 loose in the haftc1325 motleyc1380 unsadc1384 variablea1387 variantc1386 ticklec1400 inconstant1402 flitting1413 brittle1420 plianta1425 mutablec1425 shittle1440 shittle-witted1448 moonishc1450 unconstant1483 unfirm1483 varying?a1500 pliablea1513 fluctuant1575 changeling1577 shittle-headed1580 cheverel1583 off and on1583 chameleon-like1589 changeful1590 limber1602 unsteady1604 ticklish1606 skittish1609 startling1619 labile1623 uncertaina1625 cheverelized1625 remuant1625 fluctuate1631 fluctuary1632 various1636 contrarious1643 epileptical1646 fluxilea1654 shittle-braineda1655 multivolent1656 totter-headed1662 on and off1668 self-inconsistent1678 weathercocka1680 whifflinga1680 versatile1682 veering1684 fast and loose1697 inconsistent1709 insteadfast1728 unfixing1810 unsteadied1814 chameleonic1821 labefact1874 ballastless1884 weathercocky1886 whiffle-minded1902 1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. B3 Confusion to these limber Sycophants. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 48 You put me off with limber Vowes. View more context for this quotation a1639 Wotton in J. Gutch Collectanea Curiosa (1781) I. 219 He had tryed and found him a Prince of limber virtues. 1695 C. Leslie Remarks Some Late Serm. 2 Men of limber and pliable Consciences can easily do this. 1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth II. 244 Tho' both in his Sense, and his Loyalty limber. 1858 H. Bushnell Serm. for New Life 250 His whole nature becomes limber and quick to his love. 1887 M. B. Betham-Edwards Next of Kin Wanted I. xx. 272 [He] proved limber as a withy in her hands. †3. quasi-n. Limber quality, limberness. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [noun] starknessOE lithenessa1464 mobility1528 leathwakeness1548 stiffness1552 supplement1583 suppleness1603 spring1641 limber1786 lubricity1809 limberness1835 lissomness1857 1786 A. M. Bennett Juvenile Indiscretions I. 12 The whole depth of his talents laying in the mere limber of his tongue. Compounds C1. limber-backed, limber-footed, limber-legged adjs. ΚΠ 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 96 The Himantopodes be some of them limber legged and tender. 1720 Humourist 162 A poor limber-back'd Beau. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery xxi. 162 The Duck..if new, limber footed; if stale, dry footed. 1904 Westm. Gaz. 8 May 14/2 Here leaps the limber-footed, listening hare. C2. limber-neck n. a kind of botulism affecting poultry, caused by the toxin produced by a type of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of birds > [noun] > disorders of poultry roup1551 squeck1577 gargil1614 roup1614 the gapes1799 garget1817 snifters1844 white comb1853 bumble foot1854 wry-tail1880 blackhead1894 bacillary white diarrhoea1909 limber-neck1910 (avian or fowl) leucosis complex1922 pullorum1929 perosis1931 fowl paralysis1932 scissor beak1934 blue comb1939 hexamitiasis1941 pullet disease1941 Marek's disease1947 new wheat disease1950 X disease1950 sour crop1951 fowl cholera- 1910 C. S. Valentine How to keep Hens for Profit 271 The disease called ‘limberneck’, in which the affected bird is unable to control the head, which droops to the ground, is said by many who have had large experience with it to be the result of stomach irritation brought on by eating maggots. 1927 E. T. Brown ‘How to do it’ Poultry Bk. xxiii. 242 Limberneck or false cholera..is due entirely to a form of poisoning. 1931 S. Dickinson & H. R. Lewis Poultry Enterprises ix. 216 When flies and maggots infest putrid meat and other spoiled feeds, fowls eating them are likely to show symptoms of limber neck disease. 1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) xx. 296 These types [of botulism toxin] are also most often responsible for ‘limber-neck’ of chickens and ducks. Derivatives ˈlimberness n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [noun] pliantnessa1398 bowablenessc1475 limberness1565 bowingness1580 pliableness1581 suppleness1584 flexibility1616 pliancy1632 flexure1651 flexility1660 pliability1725 compliancy1793 facility1853 yieldiness1857 whippiness1881 bonelessness1928 the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [noun] starknessOE lithenessa1464 mobility1528 leathwakeness1548 stiffness1552 supplement1583 suppleness1603 spring1641 limber1786 lubricity1809 limberness1835 lissomness1857 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Lentitia, softenesse, pliantnesse, limbernesse. 1669 R. Boyle Contin. New Exper. Physico-mech. i. 160 The limberness of them [the sides of a bladder] would permit the Air to accommodate it self and the Bladder to the Figure of a Cylindrical vessel. 1743 W. Ellis Suppl. to London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) 278 In this [trough] oaken Planks are laid for the confin'd Steam of hot Water..to impregnate and reduce them to a Limberness. 1835 M. Scott in Blackwood's Mag. 37 460 The extreme pliancy and eel-like limberness, if I may so speak, of the whole body. 1889 F. M. Crawford Greifenstein I. viii, 236 He has the most surprising limberness of wrist. Draft additions 1997 limber pine n. a North American mountain pine, Pinus flexilis, with a short, stout trunk and short, flexible branches. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > conifers > [noun] > pines and allies pine treeeOE pineOE pine-nut treec1330 pineapplec1390 pineapple treea1398 mountain pine1597 pine1597 mountain pine1601 frankincense1611 rosin flower?1611 black pine1683 Scotch pine1706 yellow pine1709 Jersey pine1743 loblolly pine1760 mugoa1768 Scots pine1774 Scotch fir1777 arrow plant1779 scrub pine1791 Georgia pine1796 old field pine1797 tamarack1805 grey pine1810 pond pine1810 New Jersey pine1818 loblolly1819 Corsican pine1824 celery-top pine1827 toatoa1831 heavy-wooded pine1836 nut pine1845 celery pine1851 celery-topped pine1851 sugar-pine1853 western white pine1857 Jeffrey1858 Korean pine1858 lodge-pole pine1859 jack pine1863 whitebark pine1864 twisted pine1866 Monterey pine1868 tanekaha1875 chir1882 slash-pine1882 celery-leaved pine1883 knee-pine1884 knobcone pine1884 matsu1884 meadow pine1884 Alaska pine1890 limber pine1901 bristlecone pine1908 o-matsu1916 insignis1920 radiata1953 1901 A. Rehder in Cycl. Amer. Hort.: E–M 1351/1 [Pinus] flexilis, James. Limber Pine... Seems to be best adapted for ornamental planting on rocky slopes. 1961 R. M. Patterson Buffalo Head iv. 138 Away out on this point stood a very old limber pine. 1991 Montana June 79/3 The drama is heightened by the bizarre shapes of gale-battered limberpine and whitebark pine clinging tenaciously to exposed slopes and ridges. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022). limberv.¹ Brit. /ˈlɪmbə/, U.S. /ˈlɪmbər/ Etymology: < limber adj. transitive. To make limber, pliant, or supple. Also with up, and intransitive. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > loose or stiff condition > [verb (transitive)] leesea1325 lithe1362 unloosec1390 relax?a1425 supple1526 supply1534 nimble1581 relaxate1598 lax1661 limber1748 unstiffen1855 untense1970 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. lxiv. 312 Her stiff hams..are now limber'd into courtesies three-deep at every word. 1872 O. W. Holmes Poet at Breakfast-table (1885) iii. 60 She worked her wrists..to limber 'em. 1883 F. M. Crawford Mr. Isaacs viii. 164 The stiffest arms can be limbered. 1929 P. G. Wodehouse Mr. Mulliner Speaking ii. 64 He waggled his right leg for a moment to limber it up, backed a pace or two and crept forward. 1957 Oxf. Pocket Bk. Athletic Training (ed. 2) 27 An athlete who fails to limber-up properly deliberately handicaps himself. 1962 Listener 29 Mar. 566/1 As images and figures in compositions..they limber or stretch or occasionally pose. 1971 R. Dentry Encounter at Kharmel i. 1 He did twenty four half knee-bends to limber up. Derivatives ˈlimbering adj. and n. (also limbering-up) ΚΠ 1753 Ess. Celibacy 39 They exempt themselves from the free and limbering situations and circumstances of action. 1901 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 8 Oct. 3/2 When her machinery is limbered up after it has been used a while she will do much better. 1921 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 5 Apr. 10/2 During the recent fine weather several of the [tennis club] members have been out limbering up after the inactivities of the Winter months. 1921 Blackwood's Mag. Aug. 262/1 Dempsey had passed the afternoon in a ‘limbering-up hike’. 1927 Dancing Times Dec. 301/1 Most dance students know that limbering is the basis for every kind of dance work. 1963 H. Garner in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 23 The limbering up we were getting from our work. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022). limberv.² Brit. /ˈlɪmbə/, U.S. /ˈlɪmbər/ Etymology: < limber n.¹ Military. transitive. To attach the limber to (a gun). Hence absol. to fasten together the two parts of a gun-carriage, as a preparation for moving away. Usually to limber up. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > operate artillery [verb (intransitive)] > attach parts of gun to carriage limber1842 society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > management of artillery > operate (artillery) [verb (transitive)] > mount on carriage > attach limber to limber1842 1842 C. J. Lever Jack Hinton in Dublin Univ. Mag. Mar. 315/1 The heavy artillery was seen to limber up, and move slowly across the field. 1851 Orders & Regulations Royal Engineers (rev. ed.) xix. 95 Breadth of Shed, Guns limbered up..40 ft. 0 in. 1861 Man. Field Exercise Artillery 50 Limbering is always done at a trot. 1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea II. xvi. 470 The guns of Turner's battery were limbered up and pushed forward. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1903; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹1480n.²1626adj.1565v.¹1748v.²1842
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limbern.1

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limbern.2

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limberadj.

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Draft additions 1997

limberv.1

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limberv.2

limbern.¹

limbern.²

limberv.¹

limberv.²