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  1. limber love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adj. Bending or flexing readily; pliable.
  2. adj. Capable of moving, bending, or contorting easily; supple.
  3. v. To make limber: limbered up his legs.
  4. v. To make oneself limber: players limbering up before the game.
  5. n. A two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle used to tow a field gun or a caisson.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Easily bent; flexible; pliant; lithe; yielding: as, a limber rod; a limber joint.
  2. To cause to become limber; render limber or pliant.
  3. n. The shaft or thill of a wagon: usually in the plural.
  4. n. The fore part of the carriage of a field-gun or cannon, consisting of two wheels and an axle, with a framework and a pole for the horses. On the top of the frame are two ammunition-chests (or sometimes one), which serve also as seats for two artillerymen. The limber is connected with the gun-carriage properly so called by an iron hook called the pintle, fastened into an eye in the trail or block which supports the cannon in the rear. When the gun is brought into action, it is unlimbered by unfastening the block from the pintle and laying it on the ground.
  5. n. Nautical, a hole cut through the floor-timbers as a passage for water to the pump-well.
  6. To attach the limber to, as a gun; fasten together the two parts of a gun-carriage, in preparation for moving away: often with up.

Wiktionary

  1. adj. Flexible, pliant, bendable.
  2. n. obsolete A two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle used to pull an artillery piece into battle.
  3. v. obsolete To prepare an artillery piece for transportation (i.e., to attach it to its limber.)
  4. v. To cause to become limber; to make flexible or pliant.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Prov. Eng. The shafts or thills of a wagon or carriage.
  2. n. (Mil.) The detachable fore part of a gun carriage, consisting of two wheels, an axle, and a shaft to which the horses are attached. On top is an ammunition box upon which the cannoneers sit.
  3. n. (Naut.) Gutters or conduits on each side of the keelson to afford a passage for water to the pump well.
  4. v. (Mil.) To attach to the limber.
  5. adj. Easily bent; flexible; pliant; yielding.
  6. v. To cause to become limber; to make flexible or pliant.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adj. (used of e.g. personality traits) readily adaptable
  2. v. cause to become limber
  3. v. attach the limber
  4. adj. (used of artifacts) easily bent
  5. adj. (used of persons' bodies) capable of moving or bending freely
  6. n. a two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle used to pull a field gun or caisson

Etymologies

  1. For the obsolete limmer, from Old Norse limar ("branches"), plural of lim. (Wiktionary)
  2. Origin unknown.Alteration of Middle English limour, shaft of a cart, perhaps from limon, from Old French. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • michaelt42 Willow is limber timber. Apr 7, 2012

  • bilby
    My father's face is brown with sun,
    His body is tall and limber.
    His hands are gentle with beast or child
    And strong as hardwood timber.

    - Elizabeth Madox Roberts, 'Father's Story'. Nov 1, 2008

  • chained_bear "in artillery, is a two-wheeled carriage with shafts, to fasten to the trail of a travelling carriage by the means of an iron pin." (citation in Historical Military Terms list description) Oct 9, 2008

  • reesetee Oh. Then never mind my question at limber-box. Signed, still too lazy to check OED but it doesn't matter anymore. :-) Oct 17, 2007

  • chained_bear In a military sense (In early use pl.): The detachable fore part of a gun-carriage, consisting of two wheels and an axle, a pole for the horses, and a frame which holds one or two ammunition-chests (see limber-box). It is attached to the trail of the gun-carriage proper by a hook.
    Oct 17, 2007

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‘limber’ has been looked up 2608 times, loved by 5 people, added to 30 lists, commented on 5 times, and has a Scrabble score of 10.