LIMBO
What does "LIMBO" mean?
A state of uncertain waiting, neither one thing nor another.
Meanings
- An uncertain or in-between state where one is stuck waiting for a decision or resolution. Her visa application left her in limbo for months.
- In some Christian theology, a region on the border of hell for souls barred from heaven through no fault of their own. Medieval theologians placed unbaptized infants in limbo. technical
- A West Indian dance in which dancers bend backward to pass under a low bar that is steadily lowered. At the party everyone tried the limbo until the stick was barely a foot off the floor.
Did you know?
- The two meanings of 'limbo' come from different sources: the theological 'edge of hell' is from Latin 'limbus' (border), while the Caribbean dance, which arose in Trinidad, is tied to 'limber' and the idea of getting low.
Word origin
From Medieval Latin 'in limbo', the ablative of 'limbus', meaning 'edge' or 'border'; the Caribbean dance name is separately influenced by 'limber'.
Remember it
LIMBO: you're stuck on the 'LIMB' of a decision - out on a limb, going nowhere.
A little poem
Not yes, not no, the answer never came;
she lived a year on the edge of the next thing,
bending low under a bar nobody would raise.
tercet
Wordplay
- How low can the waiting room go? At my doctor's office, the appointment and the limbo dance are the exact same event.
What it teaches
Waiting is its own place; you can spend years there without ever arriving.
Quick facts
What does LIMBO mean?
A state of uncertain waiting, neither one thing nor another.
Is LIMBO a valid word?
Yes — LIMBO is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is LIMBO?
LIMBO has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does LIMBO come from?
From Medieval Latin 'in limbo', the ablative of 'limbus', meaning 'edge' or 'border'; the Caribbean dance name is separately influenced by 'limber'.
What can LIMBO teach us?
Waiting is its own place; you can spend years there without ever arriving.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.