limbo
To dance the limboTo dance the limbo (etymology 2, noun etymology 2, noun sense 1).
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
» Tom is in limbo.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 senses(rare, transitive)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.
in der Luft hängen lassen
(intransitive)To dance the limbo (etymology 2, noun etymology 2, noun sense 1).
(also, broadly, figuratively, intransitive)Often followed by under: to pass under something, especially while bending backwards.
Examples
10 sentencesTom is in limbo.
It's still in limbo.
Tom is stuck in legal limbo.
The party had a limbo contest.
The refugees are stuck in legal limbo.
Translations
1 languagesOrigin
The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist teThe 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.
Origin uncertain; possibly an alteration of limber (“bendable, flexible, pliant”) with the ending of the word respelled to represent a Caribbean English pronunciation.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
limbos, limboing, limboed, limboedLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.