akimbo

Meanings

1. 1
   adv

   with the hands on the hips and the elbows turned outward

   She stood with her arms akimbo and demanded an explanation.

2. 2
   adj

   bent or spread outward at an angle, especially of arms or legs

   His akimbo elbows blocked the narrow doorway.

Simplified etymology

Akimbo appeared in late medieval English in forms such as in kenebowe and a kembow. Its deeper origin is uncertain: proposed sources include French and Old Norse, among other possibilities.

Recorded in Middle English in forms such as in kenebowe, meaning roughly "in a sharp bend." Its exact formation is disputed, with both English and Scandinavian explanations proposed. The older phrase was eventually reshaped into the single modern word akimbo.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary