limbo
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limbo¹
- /ˈlɪmbəʊ/ UK
- /ˈlɪmboʊ/ US
- /ˈlɪmboː/ Caribbean
Rhymes with -ɪmbəʊ
Where it comes from
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.
noun limbos · limboes · Limbo
- A speculative place or state, 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. 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.
- 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. My passport application has been stuck in bureaucratic limbo for two weeks.
- Jail, prison; (countable) a jail cell or lockup. Adr[iana]. VVhere is thy Maſter Dromio? Is he vvell? / S. Dro. [Dromio of Syracuse] No, he's in Tartar limbo, vvorſe then hell: […] / S. Dro. I doe not knovv the matter, hee is reſted [i.e., arrested] on the caſe. / Adr. VVhat is he arreſted? tell me at vvhoſe ſuite?
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Synonym of Hades or Hell.
Nor quite of future Povv'r himſelf bereft, / But Limbo's large for Unbelievers left.
Similar: Hades or Hell
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Synonym of pawn (“the state of something being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge”).
[…] I let him have all my ready Mony to redeem his great Svvord from Limbo— […]
Similar: pawn
- A type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels.
verb limbos · limboing · limboed
- 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. [A]s your doctrine is exceedingly evil, by Yamjamma's theory it follows, that you must be proportionably bedeviled; and since it harms others, your devil is of the number of those whom it is best to limbo; and since he is one of those that can be limboed, limboed he shall be in you.
limbo²
- /ˈlɪmbəʊ/ UK
- /ˈlɪmboʊ/ US
- /ˈlɪmboː/ Caribbean
Rhymes with -ɪmbəʊ
Where it comes from
Origin uncertain; possibly an alteration of limber (“bendable, flexible, pliant”) with the ending of the word respelled to represent a Caribbean English pronunciation.
It is unclear whether the verb is derived from the noun, or the noun is derived from the verb; the noun is attested slightly earlier.
noun limbos
- A competitive dance originating from Trinidad and Tobago in which dancers take turns to cross under a horizontal bar while bending backwards. The bar is lowered with each round, and the competition is won by the dancer who passes under the bar in the lowest position without dislodging it or falling down. Every limbo boy and girl / All around the limbo world / Gonna do the limbo rock / All around the limbo clock / Jack be limbo, Jack be quick / Jack go under limbo stick / All around the limbo clock / Hey, let's do the limbo rock
verb limbos · limboing · limboed
- To dance the limbo (etymology 2, noun etymology 2, noun sense 1). Steve Becker was rolling around with the other skaters at the Pismo Beach, Calif. roller rink one day when it was announced that there would be a limbo contest. […] Steve had his friends set the bar lower and lower while he got flatter and flatter, until finally, at just over a foot and almost sprea
- Often followed by under: to pass under something, especially while bending backwards. How low can you go? Technology stocks limboed lower and lower last week as investors danced to the profit-taking beat.
Limbo³
noun Limbos
- Alternative letter-case form of limbo (“a type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels”).
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: oblivion, abeyance, expectation, dilemma, hold, suspense, indecision, dial, gap, uncertainty, empty, impasse, emptiness, vacuum, void, confusion
Translations
Every language
noun place where the souls of innocent deceased people exist temporarily until they can enter heaven
| Español | limbo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 림보 rimbo |
| 日本語 | 辺土 hendo, 辺獄 hengoku, リンボー rinbō |
| 中文 | 靈薄獄 /灵薄狱 língbóyù, 邊獄 /边狱 |
| Português | limbo |
| Français | limbes |
| Deutsch | Limbus, Vorhölle |
| Italiano | limbo |
| Русский | лимб limb |
noun in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion
| Español | limbo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | リンボ rinbo |
| Português | limbo |
| Français | limbes |
| Deutsch | Schwebezustand |
| Русский | лимб limb, подве́шенное состоя́ние podvéšennoje sostojánije |
verb to place (someone or something) in an in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion
| Deutsch | in der Luft hängen lassen |
|---|
Talk about this word "limbo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/limbo. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. limbo. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/limbo "limbo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/limbo.Cite this
@misc{limbo_2026,
title = {limbo},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/limbo},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
