limber

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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Unknown; possibly related to limb or limp.

Adjective

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limber (comparative limberer, superlative limberest)

  1. Flexible, pliant, bendable.
    He's so limber that he can kiss his knee without bending it.
    • 1567, George Turberville, “A Myrrour of the fall of Pride”, in Epitaphs, Epigrams, Songs and Sonnets, page 155:
      Not yet the bargeman that doth rowe / with long and limber oare
    • 1998, Joel and Ethan Coen, The Big Lebowski (motion picture), spoken by The Dude (Jeff Bridges):
      This is a very complicated case, Maude. A lot of ins, a lot of outs. Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict drug regimen to keep my mind limber.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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limber (third-person singular simple present limbers, present participle limbering, simple past and past participle limbered)

  1. To cause to become limber; to make flexible or pliant.
    • 1748, [Samuel Richardson], Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: [], volumes (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: [] S[amuel] Richardson;  [], →OCLC:
      Her stiff hams, that have not been bent to a civility for ten years past, are now limbered into courtesies three deep at every word
    • 1990, LOOM hint book, p. 12
      Go back to the Island and limber up with a few drafts.
Translations
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Etymology 2

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a limber attached to a field artillery piece and an artillery tractor

For the obsolete limmer, from Old Norse limar (branches), plural of lim.[1]

Noun

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limber (plural limbers)

  1. (military) A two-wheeled vehicle to which a wheeled artillery piece or caisson may be attached for transport.
  2. (in the plural) The shafts or thills of a wagon or carriage.
  3. (nautical, in the plural) Gutters or conduits on each side of the keelson to allow water to pass to the pump well.
Usage notes
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  • Sometimes the plural limbers was used to refer to a single such vehicle.
Translations
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Verb

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limber (third-person singular simple present limbers, present participle limbering, simple past and past participle limbered)

  1. (obsolete) To prepare an artillery piece for transportation (i.e., to attach it to its limber.)
Antonyms
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Translations
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See also

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Further reading

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References

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Anagrams

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