LIMBER  , an homonymous word, having three meanings . (1) A two-wheeled See also:

• CARRIAGE

carriage forming a detachable See also:

• PART

part of the equipment of all guns on travelling carriages and having on it a framework to contain See also:

• AMMUNITION

ammunition boxes, and, in most cases, seats for two or three gunners . The See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French See also:

• EQUIVALENT

equivalent is avant-See also:

• TRAIN (M. Eng. trayn or trayne, derived through Fr. from Late Lat. trahinare, to drag, draw, Lat. trahere, cf. trail, trace, ultimately from the same source)

train, the Ger . Protz (see See also:

• ARTILLERY (the O. Fr. artiller, to equip with engines of war, probably comes from Late Lat. articulum, dim. of ars, art, cf. " engine " from ingenium, or of artus, joint)

ARTILLERY and See also:

• ORDNANCE (a syncopated form of " ordinance " or " ordonnance," so spelt in this sense since the 17th century)

ORDNANCE) . (2) An See also:

• ADJECTIVE (from the Lat. adjectives, added)

adjective meaning pliant or flexible and so used with reference to a See also:

• PERSON, OFFENCES AGAINST THE

person's See also:

• MENTAL

mental or bodily qualities, See also:

• QUICK

quick, nimble, adroit . (3) A nautical See also:

• TERM

term for the holes cut in the flooring in a See also:

• SHIP

ship above the keelson, to allow See also:

• WATER

water to drain to the pumps . The See also:

• ETYMOLOGY (Gr. grvµos, true, and X6yos, "account)

etymology of these words is obscure . According to the New See also:

• ENGLISH

English See also:

• DICTIONARY

Dictionary the origin of (I) is to be found in the Fr. limoniere, a derivative of See also:

• LIMON, or PORT LIMON

Limon, the See also:

• SHAFT
• SHAFT (O. Eng., sceaft, from scafan, to shave; the word is common to Teutonic languages)

shaft of a vehicle, a meaning which appears in English from the 15th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century but is now obsolete, except apparently among the miners of the See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England . The earlier English forms of the word are lymor or limrner . See also:

• SKEAT, WALTER WILLIAM (1835– )

Skeat suggests that (2) is connected with " limp," which he refers to a See also:

• TEUTONIC
• TEUTONIC (GERMANIC) LANGUAGES

Teutonic See also:

• BASE

base See also:

• LAP

lap-. meaning to hang down . The New English Dictionarypoints out that while " limp " does not occur till the beginning of the 18th century, " limber " in this sense is found as See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early as the 16th . In See also:

• THOMAS
• THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
• THOMAS (d. 110o)
• THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
• THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
• THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
• THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
• THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
• THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
• THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
• THOMAS, ST
• THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
• THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)

Thomas See also:

• COOPER
• COOPER (or COUPER), THOMAS (c. 1517-1594)
• COOPER, ABRAHAM (1787—1868)
• COOPER, ALEXANDER (d. i66o)
• COOPER, CHARLES HENRY (18o8-1866)
• COOPER, JAMES FENIMORE (1789-1851)
• COOPER, PETER (1791-1883)
• COOPER, SAMUEL (1609-1672)
• COOPER, SIR ASTLEY PASTON (1768-1841)
• COOPER, THOMAS (1759–1840)
• COOPER, THOMAS (1805–1892)
• COOPER, THOMAS SIDNEY (1803–1902)

Cooper's (1517 ?–1594) See also:

• THESAURUS (Gr. B17o-avp6s)

Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae (1565), it appears as the English equivalent of the Latin lentus .