limbo

Etymology 1

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.

noun

1. (Roman Catholicism, uncountable) The place, thought to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those of the saints who died before the advent of Jesus Christ (who occupy the limbo patrum or limbo of the patriarchs or fathers) and those of unbaptized infants (who occupy the limbo infantum or limbo of the infants); (countable) the place where each category of souls exists, regarded separately.
   Limbo, or more exactly the notion of two different limbos within Christendom, was also an invention. Many medieval Christians had difficulty accepting the idea of eternal punishment meted out to two categories of persons who, on strictly technical grounds, were "outside" the Church and otherwise quite beyond the pale. The first category embraced wise and just people who died before the coming of Christ, and the second included all infants born within Christendom but, unfortunately, unbaptized at the time of their death. 1992, William R. LaFleur, “Jizō at the Crosswords”, in Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, part 1 (Original Concepts), page 57
2. (by extension)
   1. (countable, uncountable) Chiefly preceded by in: any in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.
      My passport application has been stuck in bureaucratic limbo for two weeks.
      Homœpathy, so-called, is an unutterable humbug, and is to be consigned to the eternal Limbos of the Unblessed—where, indeed, it is already for the most part gone. 23 April 1881, “Lord Beaconsfield and Homœpathy”, in George F[rederick] Shrady [Sr.], editor, The Medical Record: A Weekly Journal of Medicine and Surgery, volume 19, New York, N.Y.: William Wood & Co.[…], →OCLC, page 466, column 1
      [U]rged beyond that line where the soul is mistress over herself, he lost himself in those delicious limboes, which the vulgar call so foolishly "the imaginary regions." 1896, Honoré de Balzac, translated by Ernest Dowson, La Fille aux Yeux d’Or [The Girl with the Golden Eyes], London: Leonard Smithers[…], →OCLC, page 95
      His Thomas De Witt Talmage's] so-called "sermons" are but fragmentary and usually ignorant allusions to things in general. He seldom or never encroaches upon the realms of science and philosophy, although he frequently attempts it, and evidently imagines that he is succeeding admirably, when he is but sloshing around, like a drunken comet that is chiefly tail, in inane limboes. a. 1899 (date written), William Cowper Brann, “Talmage the Turgid”, in The Complete Works of Brann the Iconoclast, volume I, New York, N.Y.: The Brann Publishers, published 1919, page 200
      Like unbaptized children and the non-Christian righteous, black feminisms have been relegated to an outer realm where, while not exactly punished for their sins, they are ghettoized for an alleged poor timing and inability to encounter the "larger paradigms" undergirding existence. Women from oppressed peoples routinely find themselves in liberation limbos. 1997, Joy Ann James, “Black Feminism: Liberation Limbos and Existence in Gray”, in Lewis R[icardo] Gordon, editor, Existence in Black: An Anthology of Black Existential Philosophy, New York, N.Y., London: Routledge, part IV (Black Existence and Black Liberation), page 216
      But the railway is in limbo, paralysed by indecision. Let's have some clarity. 5 May 2021, Philip Haigh, “I Think We Need Better than This from the Rail Industry”, in Rail, number 930, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 51
      The bigger worry for the Mail is that, if any of the claims are successful, it could open the door for other cases against the newspaper that could leave it in legal limbo for years. 7 October 2022, Jim Waterson, “Legal action by Doreen Lawrence and Prince Harry could mire Daily Mail for years”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-14
   2. (slang, archaic, uncountable) Jail, prison; (countable) a jail cell or lockup.
      Patr[ick]. […] [S]hame burn my cheek! My maſter, d'ye ſee, had gotten into the limboes; […] / Major C[amden]. But vvhat do you mean by your maſter's being in the limboes, Patrick? / Patr. VVhy, Maſter Tipſtaff here—Isn't it Tipſtaff ye call him?—kidnapped him; that's all, Honey. 1796 February, Constantia [pseudonym; Judith Sargent Murray], “The Traveller Returned, Concluded”, in The Gleaner. A Miscellaneous Production.[…], volume III, number LXXXIV, Boston, Mass.: […] I[saiah] Thomas and E[benezer] T. Andrews,[…], →OCLC, act IV, scene iii, page 156
      Blind Thaddeus O'Gorman was soon sent to limbo, safely secured in the police lock-up at Green Skipperton, whence he was removed next day to the nearest gaol, there to await trial at the next assize. 1894, Arthur [George Frederick] Griffiths, “Commonplace Criminals”, in Secrets of the Prison-house: Or Gaol Studies and Sketches[…], volume II, London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, page 144
   3. (uncountable, obsolete) Synonym of Hades or Hell
   4. (uncountable, obsolete) Synonym of pawn (“the state of something being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge”)
3. (countable, military, nautical, weaponry) A type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels.

verb

1. (transitive, rare) To place (someone or something) in an in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.
   "If a fellow of ours isn't uncovered we may be limboed here till—" Till when? Till we were born again? I wished not to wonder just then. "Whenever." 1988 October, Jack Womack, chapter 5, in Terraplane[…], New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, page 102
   An hour later, beside City Limits Road / I balanced, a gleaming can in each hand, / Limboed between worlds, repeating one dollar. 1992, Yusef Komunyakaa, “Blackberries”, in Magic City, Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, page 27

Etymology 2

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.

noun

1. (dance, also attributively) A competitive dance originating from Trinidad and Tobago in which dancers take turns to cross under a horizontal bar while bending backwards. The bar is lowered with each round, and the competition is won by the dancer who passes under the bar in the lowest position without dislodging it or falling down.
   Every limbo boy and girl / All around the limbo world / Gonna do the limbo rock / All around the limbo clock / Jack be limbo, Jack be quick / Jack go under limbo stick / All around the limbo clock / Hey, let's do the limbo rock 1962 October, Jan Sheldon [pseudonym; Kal Mann], Billy Strange (lyrics and music), “Limbo Rock”, in Limbo Party, performed by Chubby Checker
   At night steel-band and calypso shows liven up many of the island's larger hotels. If you're not up for watching limbos, bottle dancing, and fire eating, your best bet might be a leisurely dinner before settling down on chaise longues around your hotel's pool with a couple of fruity concoctions. 1992, Susan Farewell, “The United States Virgin Islands”, in Alan Tucker, editor, The Berlitz Travellers Guide to the Caribbean 1993, New York, N.Y., Oxford, Oxfordshire: Berlitz Publishing Company, →ISSN, page 140
   Limbo is a traditional popular dance contest that originated on the island of Trinidad. It got its name in the 1950s, but the limbo dates back to the 1800s in Trinidad. […] R&B singer-songwriter Chubby Checker, who popularized the Twist, also popularized the limbo dance and the phrase "How low can you go?" The world record for the lowest limbo dance is only 8.5 inches above the ground! 2016, Linda Parker Hamilton, “Games in the Outdoors”, in Camping Activity Book for Families; The Kid-tested Guide to Fun in the Outdoors, Guilford, Conn., Helena, Mont.: FalconGuides, Rowman & Littlefield, page 122, column 2

verb

1. (dance">dance) To dance">dance the limbo (etymology 2, noun sense 1).
   Steve Becker was rolling around with the other skaters at the Pismo Beach, Calif. roller rink one day when it was announced that there would be a limbo contest. […] Steve had his friends set the bar lower and lower while he got flatter and flatter, until finally, at just over a foot and almost spread-eagled, he reached his limboing limit. A noun use, applied to passing under a horizontal bar on roller-skates. 24 November 1967, “Miscellany: Stoop to Conquer”, in George P. Hunt, editor, Life, volume 63, number 21, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 124
   The race begins at Alyeska Resort with an alpine skiing leg. It then proceeds through a downhill sprint, an in-line skate, a mountain bike ride, a 5K run, a wheelchair obstacle course and, if all that wasn't enough, a three-legged race in which participants chug a beer or soda before limboing under the tape. 1993 May–June, Kathleen Ring, “Coming Attractions”, in Snow Country: The Year-round Magazine of Skiing, Mountain Sports & Living, volume 6, number 3, Trumbull, Conn.: NYT Sports/Leisure Magazines, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 68, column 3
   After each player goes under once, the bar is lowered about an inch. Players keep limboing under the limbo stick as it gets lower and lower. If you touch the stick with any part of your body, you're out. The last person left is the winner. 2016, Linda Parker Hamilton, “Games in the Outdoors”, in Camping Activity Book for Families; The Kid-tested Guide to Fun in the Outdoors, Guilford, Conn., Helena, Mont.: FalconGuides, Rowman & Littlefield, page 122
   Anyway, one year we had a party in our unfinished basement. All I remember about it is that we limboed on bare concrete. Good times! 28 January 2020, Giselle Renarde, “Limbo Rock (Chubby Checker)”, in Play It on My Radio: A Diary in Music, [Los Gatos, Calif.: Smashwords], published 2021, page 171
2. (by extension, also figurative) Often followed by under: to pass under something, especially while bending backwards.
   How low can you go? Technology stocks limboed lower and lower last week as investors danced to the profit-taking beat. 26 March 1990, “Low Motion: Technology Firms Dip, Pivot as Investors Drum Up Profits”, in Bill Laberis, editor, Computerworld: The Newsweekly of Information Systems Management, volume XXIV, number 13, Framingham, Mass.: CW Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 7, column 3
   Ahn slept over on Friday night, and as soon as the parents were asleep, Dana and Ahn limboed under the criss-cross barriers into the secret chamber. 1994, Lois Ruby, “No Nancy Drews”, in Steal Away Home (Aladdin Historical Fiction), New York, N.Y.: Aladdin Paperbacks, published January 1999, page 41
   [T]he Private […] limboed to his seat [in a mini-submarine], thrusting his chest up and twisting to the right, one arm behind him, steadying himself on the chair as he slid in. 1995 November, Jeff Rovin, created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, “Tuesday, 12:26 A.M., Helsinki”, in Tom Clancy’s Op-Center: Mirror Image (Tom Clancy’s Op-Center), New York, N.Y.: Berkley Books
   [W]e find that the NRC does a very good job at setting the safety bar at the right height. […] They don't do a very good job of enforcing those regulations. Too many plant owners are limboing beneath the safety bar for too long, putting Americans at higher risk, and additionally driving the costs of nuclear power upwards inexplicably. 13 May 2011, David Lochbaum (witness), “Statement of Mr. David Lochbaum, Director, Nuclear Safety Project, Union of Concerned Scientists”, in Nuclear Energy Risk Management: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, Joint with the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, First Session[…] (Serial No. 122-18), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, page 199
   Daisy-Mae [a dog] also distinguishes herself by limboing under the picnic ground fence. I have to go back in order to use the gate into this spot, where I can retrieve the little madam. 24 September 2012, Anthony Linick, “June 2007”, in A Doggy Day in London Town: Life among the Dog People of Paddington Rec, volume IV, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, page 27