life and limb

English

WOTD – 30 January 2021

Etymology

A reference to a person risking the loss of their life and injury to their limbs (arms and legs).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪf n̩ ˈlɪm/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪm

Noun

life and limb pl (plural only)

1. Existence together with the bodily faculties.

   Synonym: (obsolete) life and member

   Those kids are risking life and limb when they go inside that old abandoned house: it might collapse on their heads.

Usage notes

• The term is often used in phrases referring to the risk of losing such attributes.

Derived terms

• risk life and limb

Related terms

• for life, for dear life

Translations

existence together with the bodily faculties

• Finnish: henki ja terveys
• German: Leib und Leben (de)
• Polish: życie i zdrowie
• Russian: жизнь и здоро́вье (žiznʹ i zdoróvʹje)
• Swedish: liv och lem

Further reading

• “life and limb” under “life, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2009.
• “life and limb, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “life and limb” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.