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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset

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2 source sections across 1 headword matching “Limbo”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.

Open the permanent entry for limbo →
limboEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text

The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist temporarily until they can enter heaven”), from Latin limbō, the ablative singular of limbus (“border, edge; hem; fringe, tassel”) (notably in expressions like in limbō (“in limbo”) and e limbō (“out of limbo”)); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *lemb- (“to hang limply or loosely”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang down loosely (?)”). Doublet of limp. The verb is derived from the noun.

Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗
limboEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text

Origin uncertain; possibly an alteration of limber (“bendable, flexible, pliant”) with the ending of the word respelled to represent a Caribbean English pronunciation. It is unclear whether the verb is derived from the noun, or the noun is derived from the verb; the noun is attested slightly earlier.

Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗

From Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Extraction source · CC-BY-SA-4.0. Selected source text is reformatted for display; language and section identity are retained.

Source dump: 2026-10-01 · Extraction: 2026-10-30. These dates identify a dump snapshot, not an individual page revision.

Snapshot checksums and coverage
SOURCE SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
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c4c2a77325141846709230e11c2959332acd630d53e52905b72d36211251b081
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73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
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Chambers (1908)

1908
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