limbo

CEFRC1

/ˈlɪmbəʊ/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A situation where you are waiting for a decision or result.

  2. 02

    noun

    A dance in which people bend backward under a low bar.

Examples

  • If life puts us on our knees, let's dance the limbo!

  • My passport application has been stuck in bureaucratic limbo for two weeks.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /ˈlɪmboʊ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Chiefly preceded by in: any in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.

  2. Jail, prison; (countable) a jail cell or lockup.

  3. A type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels.

More examples

In context

  • It's still in limbo.

  • Oh vvhat a ſimpathie of vvoe is this, / As farre from helpe, as Lymbo is from bliſſe.

  • Of vvhat texte thou proveſt hell / vvill a nother prove purgatory / a nother lymbo patrum / and a nother the aſſumpcion of oure ladi: And a nother ſhall prove of the ſame texte that an Ape hath a tayle.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After the company closed, the project remained in blank while we waited for new funding.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist temporarily until they can enter heaven”), from Latin limbō, the ablative singular of limbus (“border, edge; hem; fringe, tassel”) (notably in expressions like in limbō (“in limbo”) and e limbō (“out of limbo”)); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *lemb- (“to hang limply or loosely”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang down loosely (?)”). Doublet of limp. The verb is derived from the noun.