limb

View more Science videos

The apparent edge of the Sun, the Moon, a planet, or any other body having a detectable disk. The leading limb of an object as it moves due to the diurnal rotation of Earth is known as the preceding limb, while the trailing limb is called the following limb. The lower limb of an object (usually the Sun or the Moon) is the limb that is closer to the observer's horizon. The edges of the visible face of the Moon and of Venus are known as the limb regions.

n

Definition: appendage
Antonyms: trunk

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

The branch of a tree or the leg of an American woman.

    'Twas a pair of boots that the lady bought,
        And the salesman laced them tight
        To a very remarkable height --
    Higher, indeed, than I think he ought --
        Higher than can be right.
    For the Bible declares -- but never mind:
        It is hardly fit
    To censure freely and fault to find
    With others for sins that I'm not inclined
        Myself to commit.
    Each has his weakness, and though my own
        Is freedom from every sin,
        It still were unfair to pitch in,
    Discharging the first censorious stone.
    Besides, the truth compels me to say,
    The boots in question were made that way.
    As he drew the lace she made a grimace,
        And blushingly said to him:
    "This boot, I'm sure, is too high to endure,
    It hurts my -- hurts my -- limb."
    The salesman smiled in a manner mild,
    Like an artless, undesigning child;
    Then, checking himself, to his face he gave
    A look as sorrowful as the grave,
        Though he didn't care two figs
    For her paints and throes,
    As he stroked her toes,
    Remarking with speech and manner just
    Befitting his calling:  "Madam, I trust
        That it doesn't hurt your twigs."
                                                      B. Percival Dike

---

A main branch of a tree or shrub.

IN BRIEF: An arm, leg or wing. Also: A large branch of a tree.

Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is. — Arthur F. Lenenhan

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

1. one of the paired appendages of the body used in locomotion and grasping.
2. a structure or part resembling an arm.

• l. absence — may be an acquired characteristic, or a congenital defect caused by inheritance of a modifying factor, e.g. ‘mole’ calves, or the effect of an environmental noxious agent, e.g. beta-irradiation. Called also amputates.
• anacrotic l. — the ascending portion of an arterial pulse tracing.
• catacrotic l. — the descending portion of an arterial pulse tracing.
• l. curvature — medially or laterally as in rickets, Trachymene spp. poisoning.
• l. deformity — abnormal size, shape, position or composition of a limb, which may be congenital and inherited or an acquired defect.
• l. drag — the limb is insufficiently flexed and the toe is dragged; indicates weakness or paresis.
• l.-hoof conformation — the contours, angulation and relative size of the component parts of a limb, all of which are vital to a long and troublefree life of locomotion, the principal function of agricultural animals.
• l. mange — see chorioptic mange.
• pectoral l. — the frontlimb.
• pelvic l. — the hindlimb.
• l. sparing — an alternative to amputation in the treatment of large neoplastic lesions, most commonly osteosarcoma. Called also limb salvage.
• thoracic l. — pectoral limb.

For a list of words related to limb, see:

• Limbs and Extremities - limb: arm or leg

---

See words rhyming with "limb."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Limb.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - lem, ben, gren, arm
v. tr. - sønderlemme

idioms:

• out on a limb    komme ud i en prekær situation
• tear limb from limb    blive sønderlemmet, blive slået til plukfisk

2.
n. - bugt, rand af himmellegeme, limbus, gradinddelt bue

Nederlands (Dutch)
ledemaat, tak, gedeelte van een kruis, rand (van zon/maan etc.), uitloper (berg), zinsnede, bladschijf, actief medewerker/lid, ondeugend kind, ontleden, omgehakte boom van takken ontdoen

Français (French)
1.
n. - (Anat) membre, branche (d'arbre), membre/représentant (d'un groupe), espiègle (fam)
v. tr. - couper les branches d'un arbre abattu

idioms:

• out on a limb    (être) isolé, (fig) être sur la corde raide
• tear limb from limb    mettre en pièces

2.
n. - rapporteur (pour mesurer les angles), (Astron) circonférence du disque apparent d'un corps céleste, (Bot) limbe d'un pétale/pétale supérieur

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Arm, (Haupt)ast, Glied
v. - zerstückeln, verstümmeln

idioms:

• out on a limb    in einer riskanten Position
• tear limb from limb    jmdn. in der Luft zerreißen

2.
n. - Limbus, (Astr) Rand eines Himmelskörpers

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - μέλος, άκρο του σώματος, κλώνος, κλάδα, κλάδος (δέντρου), άκρη, ακρόληξη, απόληξη, προβολή, προέκταση
v. - ακρωτηριάζω, κλαδεύω

idioms:

• out on a limb    επί ξύλου κρεμάμενος, σε δύσκολη θέση
• tear limb from limb    κομματιάζω

Italiano (Italian)
ramo, arto

idioms:

• out on a limb    in posizione pericolosa
• tear limb from limb    fare a pezzi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - membro (m) (do corpo), ramo (m) (de árvore) (Bot.)
v. - desmembrar, arrancar os membros

idioms:

• out on a limb    em apuros
• tear limb from limb    arrancar membro por membro

Русский (Russian)
расчленять, конечность, непослушный ребенок, член предложения, отрог горы, лимб, орудие, орган

idioms:

• go out on a limb    находиться под угрозой
• out on a limb    в опасном положении
• tear limb from limb    разорвать на части

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - rama, miembro, extremidad
v. tr. - desmembrar, quitar las ramas

idioms:

• out on a limb    aislado, en una situación precaria, en la estacada
• tear limb from limb    despedazar

2.
n. - limbo, borde

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - lem, arm, ben, (bildl.) (med)lem, (stor) gren, (havs)arm, flygel (på byggnad), led (i sats o.d.), (något åld.) rackarunge
v. - lemlesta, stycka, kvista

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 肢, 脚, 臂, 翼, 肢解, 从截去树枝, 给...截肢

idioms:

• out on a limb    处境危险, 在冒险, 公开发表不同意见
• tear limb from limb    撕裂...的肢体, 彻底拆毁了

2. 边缘, 叶边, 刻度圈, 分度弧

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 肢, 腳, 臂, 翼
v. tr. - 肢解, 從截去樹枝, 給...截肢

idioms:

• out on a limb    處境危險, 在冒險, 公開發表不同意見
• tear limb from limb    撕裂...的肢體, 徹底拆毀了

2.
n. - 邊緣, 葉邊, 刻度圈, 分度弧

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 수족, 손발, 큰 가지, 돌출부, 자식
v. tr. - 사지를 자르다, 해체하다

2.
n. - 눈금 언저리, 확대부, 가장자리

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 手足, 翼, 大枝, 子分

idioms:

• go out on a limb    引っ込みがつかない事をする
• out on a limb    孤立無援で, 危険な立場で

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الوصل, أحد أطراف الحيوان, رجل الإنسان أو ذراعه, الجمع أوصال, غصن كبير أو رئيس, عضو أو عامل فعال, فرع أو شعبه أو إمتداد, طفل مؤذ, الجزء المنتشر من بتله أو سبله أو ورقه نبات (فعل) يؤرب, يقطع الأعضاء أو الأوصال, ينزع أغصان شجرة مقطوعه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אבר, גף, כנף, זרוע, רגל, שובב, ענף גדול, ילד רע, פסוקית (חלק של משפט), החלק הרחב של עלה‬
v. tr. - ‮כרת ענפי עץ שנפל‬
n. - ‮קצה של גרם-שמיים, קצה מחולק לדרגות של מכשיר-מדידה, החלק הרחב של עלה-כותרת‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

Some good "limb" pages on the web: