limbs

limb ¹  (lm)

n.

1. One of the larger branches of a tree.

2. One of the jointed appendages of an animal, such as an arm, leg, wing, or flipper, used for locomotion or grasping.

3. An extension or a projecting part, as of a building or mountain range.

4. One that is considered to be an extension, member, or representative of a larger body or group.

5. Informal An impish child.

tr.v. limbed, limb·ing, limbs

To dismember.

Idiom:

(out) on a limb Informal

In a difficult, awkward, or vulnerable position.

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[Alteration (probably influenced by limb) of Middle English lim, from Old English.]

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limb ²  (lm)

n.

1. Astronomy The circumferential edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body.

2. Mathematics The edge of a graduated arc or circle used in an instrument to measure angles.

3. Botany The expanded tip of a plant organ, such as a petal or corolla lobe.

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[Middle English, graduated edge of an astronomical instrument, from Old French limbe, from Latin limbus, border.]

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limbs

• ashtanga - Sanskrit for "having eight parts"—referring to the eight limbs or sutras of yoga; ashtanga yoga is also known as power yoga.
• basket case - Originally slang denoting a soldier who had lost all four limbs, thus unable to move independently.
• stretch - Originally meant "lengthening the limbs" or making them stiffer by stretching.
• hurkle, hurple - To hurkle or hurple is to draw one's limbs in and scrunch up the shoulders in reaction to the cold or in a storm.