limbo Definition

limbo¹
Limbo
noun limbos

1. Christianity.
An area between heaven and hell that is believed to be reserved for the unbaptized dead, either children or the righteous who died before Christ.
2. A place of oblivion or neglect.

Thesaurus: oblivion, nothingness, neither here nor there.
3. Prison.

Idiom: in limbo

In a state of uncertainty or waiting.

Etymology: 14c: from Latin in limbo on the border.

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limbo²
noun

1. A West Indian dance in which the object is to lean backwards and shuffle under a rope or bar which is gradually lowered towards the floor, a highly skilled performer being able to do this with only a few inches clearance.

Etymology: 1950s: from Jamaican English limba to bend.