Limb
/lɪm/noun
An arm or leg, or a large branch of a tree.
Did you know?English limb and limb in the sense of a tree branch are historically the same word, and the body-part meaning developed by metaphor from a “branch” extending from the trunk.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lem-
“to split, break off”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*limą
“branch, limb”
Old English
OE
lim
“limb, member, branch”
Old Norse
ON
limr
“limb, branch”
Middle English
ME
limb
“a branch; later, a human arm or leg”
Modern English
English
limb
“an arm or leg; a large branch of a tree”