Link Centre Dictionary

akimbo

UK/əˈkɪm.bəʊ/ US/əˈkɪm.boʊ/ uncommon slang
adverb (1) adjective (1)

adverb

1.

with hands on hips and elbows extending outward

  • “she stood there akimbo”

adjective

1.

(used of arms and legs) bent outward with the joint away from the body

  • “a tailor sitting with legs akimbo”
  • “stood with arms akimbo”
Similar

Origin

From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compare Icelandic kengboginn (“bow-bent”).

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.