noun
limb
lihm
noun
1
An arm, leg, or wing — a major projecting part of a body used for movement.
"She broke a limb skiing last winter."
2
A large branch of a tree.
"The storm snapped a thick limb off the old oak."
verb
1
To cut the limbs or branches off something.
"The crew limbed the fallen tree before hauling it away."
How to Use Limb
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn arm or leg (on a person or animal), or a large tree branch.
Common mistake
The idiom "out on a limb" means taking a risk by saying or doing something without support — it has nothing to do with injury.
Common pairings
out on a limb
lose a limb
a limb of the tree
Word Forms
limbed past tense, limbs plural, Limbs plural, limbs singular
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She broke a _____ skiing last winter.
Etymology
From Old English lim ("limb, branch"); the silent "b" was added in spelling around the late 1500s, similar to the "b" in crumb.