limbo: English has two distinct and probably unrelated words limbo. By far the older is the theological limbo [14], referring originally to that condition in which the souls of the dead exist that are neither in heaven nor in hell. It comes from Latin limbus ‘border, edge’, which in the Middle Ages was used to refer to a region on the borders of, but not actually inside, hell.
It very often turned up in the ablative case, in the phrase in limbo, which is how English adopted it. The other limbo [20], denoting a West Indian dance that involves passing underneath a progressively lowered bar, probably comes from limber ‘flexible, supple’ [16], which in turn might be from limb or possibly from limber ‘detachable forward part of a gun-carriage’ [15] (although spellings of that with a b do not occur before the 17th century).
No one knows where that limber came from, although it might ultimately be Celtic. Alternatively, if the bar is viewed as a sort of boundary that the dancer must cross, the terpsichorean limbo could be related to the theological limbo.
limbo (n.1)
"region supposed to exist on the border of Hell" reserved for pre-Christian saints (Limbus patrum) and unbaptized infants (Limbus infantum);" c. 1300, from Latin limbo, ablative of limbus "edge, border" (see limb (2)). It emerged from Latin in the ablative form from frequent use in phrases such as in limbo (patrum), etc. Figurative sense of "condition of neglect or oblivion" is from 1640s.
limbo (n.2)
dance in which the dancer bends backward and passes under a bar, 1956, of W.Indian origin, probably an alteration of limber.
双语例句
1. the limbo of the stateless person
无国籍人的不安定状态
来自《权威词典》
2. Neither party accepted her, so she was in limbo.
两党都不承认她, 所以她遭到忽略.
来自《简明英汉词典》
3. I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead. I felt as if I was in limbo.
我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。
来自柯林斯例句
4. We're in limbo at the moment because we've finished our work in this country and now we're waiting for our next contract.
我们目前正处于断档期,因为我们在这个国家的工作已经完成,正在等待下一个合同.
来自《简明英汉词典》
5. Some other way of entering limbo must be thought of.
