limbo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈlɪmboʊ/
• American English: LIM-boh

Origin

From Latin "limbus" meaning "edge" or "border"

Meanings

1. (noun) An uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition.
2. (noun) In some Christian beliefs, the supposed abode of unbaptized infants and the virtuous dead before the coming of Christ.
3. (noun) A dance or contest in which participants bend backwards to pass under a horizontal bar.

Example Sentences

1. The project was in limbo for months while we waited for funding approval.
2. Medieval theologians debated the nature of limbo.
3. At the beach party, tourists attempted the limbo under a low-hanging pole.

Related Words

• Forms: limbos (plural noun)
• Synonyms: uncertainty, indecision, intermediate state, purgatory

Memorization Tricks

• Think of "limbo" as a state of being "limited" in movement or progress, stuck between two points.
• Imagine a person bent backwards in the limbo dance, stuck in an in-between position, neither upright nor on the ground.
• Remember the phrase "in limbo" to recall its meaning of being in an uncertain or intermediate state.