I. lim·ber ˈlimbə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English lymour
1. now dialect England : the shaft of a cart, wagon, or carriage — usually used in plural
2.
a. : a horse-drawn 2-wheeled vehicle to which a gun or caisson may be attached by means of a lunette that is slipped over a pintle and that includes a pole to which the horses are joined and an ammunition chest that serves as a seat for cannoneers
b. : a similar vehicle designed to be drawn by a tractor
II. limber verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to attach a gun or caisson to the limber preparatory to moving to a new position
intransitive verb
: to put together the limber and the gun or caisson — usually used with up
III. limber adjective
( often -er/-est )
Etymology: origin unknown
1.
a. : capable of being shaped : flexible , pliable
diamond necklaces … as limber as a ribbon collar — New Yorker
loosen their already limber credit terms — Newsweek
b. : lacking in firmness : pliant , untrustworthy
put me off with limber vows — Shakespeare
2.
a. : having a resilient and supple quality of body or movement : agile , nimble
with his limber springiness and his arms dangling from half-length sleeves — W.B.Furlong
b. : having a lively and supple quality of mind or style
your sharpened eye and limberer imagination — Edwin Denby
delightfully limber renditions — Whitney Balliett
3. now dialect : flabby , limp , weak
Synonyms: see supple
IV. limber verb
( limbered ; limbered ; limbering -b(ə)riŋ ; limbers )
transitive verb
: to cause to become limber : make flexible or pliant : loosen — often used with up
limbered his mental and moral muscles — Janet Whitney
for the musician to limber up his smallest joint — J.M.Barzun
intransitive verb
: to become limber especially by engaging in light exercise — usually used with up
V. limb·er ˈlimə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: limb (II) + -er
: a logger who trims limbs from felled trees — called also brusher, brutter