limb

1
[ lim ]
/ lɪm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR limb ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object)

to cut the limbs from (a felled tree).

Idioms for limb

    out on a limb, in a dangerous or compromising situation; vulnerable: The company overextended itself financially and was soon out on a limb.

Origin of limb

1
before 900; Middle English, Old English lim; akin to Old Norse lim foliage, limr limb, līmi rod, Latin līmus aslant, līmen threshold

synonym study for limb

2. See branch.

OTHER WORDS FROM limb

limb·less, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH limb

limb limn

Words nearby limb

limacine, liman, limassol, limavady, limaçon, limb, limb bud, limb lead, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, limba, limbate

Words related to out on a limb

chancy, dangerous, exposed, liable, open, perilous, precarious, risky, shaky

British Dictionary definitions for out on a limb (1 of 2)

limb 1
/ (lɪm) /

noun

verb

(tr) a rare word for dismember

Derived forms of limb

limbless, adjective

Word Origin for limb

Old English lim; related to Old Norse limr

British Dictionary definitions for out on a limb (2 of 2)

limb 2
/ (lɪm) /

noun

the edge of the apparent disc of the sun, a moon, or a planet
a graduated arc attached to instruments, such as the sextant, used for measuring angles
botany
  1. the expanded upper part of a bell-shaped corolla
  2. the expanded part of a leaf, petal, or sepal
either of the two halves of a bow
Also called: fold limb either of the sides of a geological fold

Word Origin for limb

C15: from Latin limbus edge

Medical definitions for out on a limb

limb
[ lĭm ]

n.

One of the paired jointed extremities of the body; an arm or a leg.
A segment of such a jointed structure.

Scientific definitions for out on a limb

limb
[ lĭm ]

One of the appendages of an animal, such as an arm of a starfish, the flipper of dolphins, or the arm and leg of a human, used for locomotion or grasping.
The expanded tip of a plant organ, such as a petal or corolla lobe.
The circumferential edge of the apparent disk of a celestial body.

Idioms and Phrases with out on a limb (1 of 2)

out on a limb

In a difficult, awkward, or vulnerable position, as in I lodged a complaint about low salaries, but the people who had supported me left me out on a limb. This expression alludes to an animal climbing out on the limb of a tree and then being afraid or unable to retreat. [Late 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with out on a limb (2 of 2)

limb

see out on a limb; risk life and limb.