limbo

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable) A speculation, thought possibly to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people might exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those of the saints who died before the advent of Jesus Christ (who occupy the limbo patrum or limbo of the patriarchs or fathers) and those of unbaptized infants (who occupy the limbo infantum or limbo of the infants); (countable) the possible place where each category of souls might exist, regarded separately.
2. (broadly, countable, uncountable) 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.
3. (archaic, broadly, slang, uncountable) Jail, prison; (countable) a jail cell or lockup.
4. (broadly, obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of Hades or Hell.
5. (broadly, obsolete, uncountable) Synonym of pawn (“the state of something being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge”).
6. (countable) A type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels.

Verb

To place (someone or something) in an in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To dance the limbo (etymology 2, noun sense 1).
2. (also, broadly, figuratively, intransitive) Often followed by under: to pass under something, especially while bending backwards.

Synonyms

bastile

bagnio

pogie

cage

pogey

pogy

jail

bastille

prison

oblivion

bar

boom

💥

broccoli

🥦

bud

boo

bale

ashes

blonde

dial

heaven

ding

ditch

fir

flower

🌸

forgotten past

funk

gage

gangster

gaol

gash

dew

block

confinement

greta

greeter

charge

has

hay

grata

hemp

herb

🌿

homegrown

hooch

incarceration

grass

kali

kilter

kind

limb

Ghana

🇬🇭

Translations

limbes

limbo

limbo

oubli

Limbo

limbo

limbo

φυλακή

limbo

Rumpelkammer

κόλαση

llims

oblio

hapishane

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈlɪmbəʊ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: limbo

In summary

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.