limp

limp
I. intransitive verb Etymology: probably from Middle English lympen to fall short; akin to Old English limpan to happen, lemphealt lame Date: circa 1570 1. a. to walk lamely; especially to walk favoring one leg b. to go unsteadily ; falter 2. to proceed slowly or with difficulty <
the ship limped back to port
>
limper noun II. noun Date: 1818 a limping movement or gait III. adjective Etymology: akin to 1limp Date: circa 1706 1. a. lacking firm texture, substance, or structure <
limp curtains
>
<
her hair hung limp about her shoulders
>
b. not stiff or rigid <
a book in a limp binding
>
2. a. weary, exhausted <
limp with fatigue
>
b. lacking in strength, vigor, or firmness ; spiritlesslimply adverblimpness noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • limp — limp·er; limp·ing·ly; limp·kin; limp·ly; limp·ness; limp·sy; limp·en; limp; limp·sey; …   English syllables

  • limp — limp, floppy, flaccid, flabby, flimsy, sleazy mean deficient in firmness of texture, substance, or structure and therefore unable to keep a shape or in shape. Limp applies to something that lacks or has lost the stiffness or firmness necessary to …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • limp — limp1 [limp] vi. [ME lympen < OE limpan, to befall, occur (in a specialized sense, to walk lamely), akin to MHG limpfen, to walk with a limp, OHG limfan, to befall, happen < IE * (s)lemb < base * leb , to hang down, be limp > SLUMP,… …   English World dictionary

  • Limp — (l[i^]mp), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Limped} (l[i^]mt; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. {Limping}.] [Cf. AS. lemphealt lame, OHG. limphen to limp, be weak; perh. akin to E. lame, or to limp, a [root]120.] To halt; to walk lamely. Also used figuratively. Shak.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Limp — Limp, a. [Cf. Icel. limpa limpness, weakness, and E. lap, n., lop, v. t. Cf. {Limber}, a.] 1. Flaccid; flabby, as flesh. Walton. [1913 Webster] 2. Lacking stiffness; flimsy; as, a limp cravat. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • limp — [adj] not stiff; weak bending, debilitated, drooping, droopy, ductile, enervated, exhausted, feeble, flabby, flaccid, flexible, flexuous, flimsy, floppy, impressible, infirm, languid, languishing, lax, lethargic, limber, listless, loose, plastic …   New thesaurus

  • limp — Ⅰ. limp [1] ► VERB 1) walk with difficulty because of an injured leg or foot. 2) (of a damaged ship or aircraft) proceed with difficulty. ► NOUN ▪ a limping gait. ORIGIN related to obsolete limphalt «lame». Ⅱ …   English terms dictionary

  • Limp — Limp, n. A halt; the act of limping. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Limp — Limp, n. (Ore Washing) A scraper for removing poor ore or refuse from the sieve. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • limp|sy — «LIHMP see», adjective. Dialect. limp …   Useful english dictionary

  • Limp — est une distribution Linux LiveCD qui permet de transformer votre PC en lecteur multimédia dédié. Voir aussi Liste des LiveCD Lien externe (en) Site officiel …   Wikipédia en Français

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