limbo

limbo
\ \ English has two distinct and probably unrelated words limbo. By far the older is the theological limbo [14], referring originally to that condition in which the souls of the dead exist that are neither in heaven nor in hell. It comes from Latin limbusborder, edge’, which in the Middle Ages was used to refer to a region on the borders of, but not actually inside, hell. It very often turned up in the ablative case, in the phrase in limbo, which is how English adopted it. The other limbo [20], denoting a West Indian dance that involves passing underneath a progressively lowered bar, probably comes from limberflexible, supple’ [16], which in turn might be from limb or possibly from limberdetachable forward part of a gun-carriage’ [15] (although spellings of that with a b do not occur before the 17th century). No one knows where that limber came from, although it might ultimately be Celtic. Alternatively, if the bar is viewed as a sort of boundary that the dancer must cross, the terpsichorean limbo could be related to the theological limbo.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Limbo — Семантика: Конкурентное программирование Появился в: 1995 Автор(ы): Шон Дорвард, Фил Винтерботтом, Роб Пайк Типизация данных: строгая Испытал влияние: C …   Википедия

  • Limbo — • A word of Teutonic derivation, meaning literally hem or border, as of a garment, or anything joined on Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Limbo     Limbo      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Limbo — Lim bo (l[i^]m b[ o]), Limbus Lim bus (l[i^]m b[u^]s), n. [L. limbus border, edge in limbo on the border. Cf. {Limb} border.] 1. (Scholastic Theol.) An spiritual region where certain classes of souls were supposed to await the last judgment.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • limbo — lim‧bo [ˈlɪmbəʊ ǁ boʊ] noun be in limbo to be in an uncertain situation in which it is not clear what will happen next: • Investors in the shares have been left in limbo since the market tailed off. * * * limbo UK US /ˈlɪmbəʊ/ noun [U] ► an… …   Financial and business terms

  • limbo — m. anat. Borde. Medical Dictionary. 2011. limbo borde, ribete Diccionario ilustrad …   Diccionario médico

  • limbo — limbo, estar en el limbo expr. no saber, ignorar, no estar al tanto. ❙ «Estar tonto: estar en Babia, estar en el limbo.» DTE. ❙ «...está en el limbo desde hace más de diez años...» Luis Mateo Díez, El expediente del náufrago, RAE CREA. ❙ «Estuve… …   Diccionario del Argot "El Sohez"

  • limbo — (Del lat. limbus). 1. m. Lugar o seno donde, según la Biblia, estaban detenidas las almas de los santos y patriarcas antiguos esperando la redención del género humano. 2. Lugar adonde, según la doctrina tradicional cristiana, van las almas de… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • limbo — Ⅰ. limbo [1] ► NOUN 1) (in some Christian beliefs) the supposed abode of the souls of unbaptized infants, and of the just who died before Christ. 2) an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution. ORIGIN from Latin limbus hem, border,… …   English terms dictionary

  • limbo — s. m. Dança, originária de Trindade e Tobago (América Central), em que o executante dança e tenta passar por baixo de uma vara horizontal, cuja altura em relação ao solo vai diminuindo.   ‣ Etimologia: inglês limbo limbo s. m. 1. Orla, borda,… …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • limbo — sustantivo masculino 1. Área: religión Según la Biblia, lugar donde los Patriarcas y las personas buenas antiguas esperaban la redención de Cristo. 2. Área: religión Según algunos teólogos católicos, lugar adonde van las almas de los niños que… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • limbo — limbo1 [lim′bō] n. pl. for 2 & 3 limbos [ME < L, abl. of limbus, edge, border (in in limbo, in or on the border) < IE * (s)lemb , to hand down: see LIMP1] 1. [usually L ] in some Christian theologies, the eternal abode or state, neither… …   English World dictionary

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