English word origin

Etymology of limb

From Middle English lyme, lim, from Old English lim (“limb, branch”), from Proto-West Germanic *limu, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”). Cognate with Old Norse limr (“limb”). The spelling with the silent unetym

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing). · A branch of a tree. · The part of the bow, from the handle to the tip. · An elementary piece of the mechanism of a lock.

verb

To remove the limbs from (an animal or tree). · To supply with limbs. · To thoroughly defeat an opponent in fisticuffs

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionlymeenm
Inherited-form mentionlimang
Inherited-form mention*limugmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*limuzgem-pro
Cognate mentionlimrnon

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "lyme",
        "id": "limb"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lyme"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lim",
        "4": "",
        "5": "limb, branch"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lim (“limb, branch”)"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "3": "*limu"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *limu"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*limuz",
        "4": "",
        "5": "branch, limb"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”)"
    },
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        "2": "limr",
        "3": "",
        "4": "limb"
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      "expansion": "Old Norse limr (“limb”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lyme",
      "lyme#Middle_English:_limb"
    ],
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      "lim#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "lim",
      "lim#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*limu",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/limu"
    ],
    [
      "*limuz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/limuz"
    ],
    [
      "limr",
      "limr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "unetymological",
      "unetymological"
    ],
    [
      "crumb",
      "crumb"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "A branch of a tree.",
        "The part of the bow, from the handle to the tip.",
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    },
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        "To remove the limbs from (an animal or tree).",
        "To supply with limbs.",
        "To thoroughly defeat an opponent in fisticuffs"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The apparent visual edge of a celestial body. · The graduated edge of a circle or arc. · The border or upper spreading part of a monopetalous corolla, or of a petal or sepal; blade.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin limbus (“border”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionlimbusla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "limbus",
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The apparent visual edge of a celestial body.",
        "The graduated edge of a circle or arc.",
        "The border or upper spreading part of a monopetalous corolla, or of a petal or sepal; blade."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for limb →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGltYg