limber1
/ˈlɪmbə
/adjective
1(Of a person or body part) lithe or supple: I have to practise to keep myself limber...
- He's very limber and agile and would have a few good moves to pull out on Superman.
- Her body was limber, lithe with the grace of a cat or that of a ballet dancer, hinting at carefully controlled strength.
- It will not only help you develop a more lithe and limber body, it will improve your strength training as well.
1.1(Of a thing) flexible: limber graphite fishing rods...
- You want to wind up with a sidearm sweep and lob the assemblage far across the open water, and this is best done with the long, limber stick.
verb [no object]
Warm up in preparation for exercise or activity, especially sport or athletics: the acrobats were limbering up for the big show...
- The Greeks are finally ready, and the world's top athletes are limbering up for the big event.
- That's if the world's sporting elite find themselves with time to spare between limbering up for races in their hectic schedule.
- After skipping their way into the Guinness Book of Records, six Waterford-based athletes have expanded their group and are limbering up for another arduous challenge - a marathon relay from Malin to Mizen Head.
Synonyms
warm up, loosen up, get into condition, get into shape, get ready, prepare, practise, train, drill;
stretch, exercise, work out
Derivatives
limberness
- Do they flail around gracefully while I'm walking, to demonstrate their limberness?
- Weary muscles complain mournfully, yet the heart's spirit overcomes sensations of pain, knowing that limberness shall soon follow a quick morning warm-up and stretch.
- At the very least that one act of inhuman limberness should inspire the funniest and the funniest kind of fetishes for one and all to enjoy.
Origin
Mid 16th century (as an adjective): perhaps from limber2 in the dialect sense 'cart shaft', with allusion to the to-and-fro motion.
Rhymes
limber2
/ˈlɪmbə/noun
The detachable front part of a gun carriage, consisting of two wheels and an axle, a pole, and a frame holding one or more ammunition boxes.The ammunition limber was the worst for wear and required the most work....
- He achieved greater mobility by building lighter gun carriages, and having the guns and limbers drawn by paired horses rather than in tandem, as they had been before.
- Two 12 lb field guns and limbers in the RAN are fitted to the gun carriage configuration.
verb [with object]
Attach a limber to (a gun): (as adjective limbered) a six-horse limbered gun...
- Everyone else was spread out in a circular patter, behind some kind of cover, covering the rest of us while our weapons were limbered.
Origin
Middle English lymour, apparently related to medieval Latin limonarius from limo, limon- 'shaft'.