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View synonyms for

limbo

1

[ lim-boh ]

noun

plural limbos.
  1. (often initial capital letter) Roman Catholic Theology. a region on the border of hell or heaven, serving as the abode after death of unbaptized infants limbo of infants and of the righteous who died before the coming of Christ limbo of the fathers, or limbo of the patriarchs.
  2. a place or state of oblivion to which persons or things are regarded as being relegated when cast aside, forgotten, past, or out of date:

    My youthful hopes are in the limbo of lost dreams.

  3. an intermediate, transitional, or midway state or place.
  4. a place or state of imprisonment or confinement.


limbo

2

[ lim-boh ]

noun

plural limbos.
  1. a dance from the West Indies, originally for men only, in which the dancer bends backward from the knees and moves with a shuffling step under a horizontal bar that is lowered after each successive pass.

limbo

1

/ ˈɪəʊ /

noun

  1. often capital RC Church the supposed abode of infants dying without baptism and the just who died before Christ
  2. an imaginary place for lost, forgotten, or unwanted persons or things
  3. an unknown intermediate place or condition between two extremes

    in limbo

  4. a prison or confinement
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

limbo

2

/ ˈɪəʊ /

noun

  1. a Caribbean dance in which dancers pass, while leaning backwards, under a bar
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

limbo

  1. In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding the afterlife, the condition of innocent persons who die without benefit of baptism ; those in limbo do not suffer damnation , but they do not enjoy the presence of God. Limbo means “a bordering place.”
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Notes

Figuratively, “limbo” is a state of nonresolution or uncertainty: “Until he receives notice of his new posting, he'll be in limbo.”
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of limbo1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Medieval Latin phrase in limbō “on hell's border” ( Latin: “on the edge”), from Latin in “in, on” + ō, ablative of limbus “edge, border”

Origin of limbo2

First recorded in 1955–60; of disputed origin; perhaps compare Jamaican English limba “to bend; easily bending”; limber 1
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yvlog History and Origins

Origin of limbo1

C14: from Medieval Latin in limbo on the border (of hell)

Origin of limbo2

C20: origin uncertain
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Idioms and Phrases

see in limbo .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Angel Stadium remains in limbo, with an increasingly uncertain future.

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The US accounts for 12 to 13% of total sales, and Leone says the company is in a state of limbo.

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“Many people are in limbo. I feel for them,” he said.

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Costs could rise immediately on perishable goods caught in limbo at international ports, including avocados and pineapples, said Sung Won Sohn, a former commissioner at the Port of Los Angeles.

From

MPs welcomed the announcement, but said the delay had left families "in limbo", with some therapy stopped and services closed because of the hiatus.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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