Etymograph

English

limp

Limp comes from Middle English limpen ‘to fall short’, from Old English limpan ‘to happen, occur’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lemb-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)lemb-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*limpaną1‘to hang down’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*limpan1‘to turn out well’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150limpan1‘to happen, occur’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500limpen1‘to fall short’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1976limp1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English limp
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1976, John C. Lawrence, H.C.H.S Support: “I think, too, of other organizations that are doing…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)lemb-Wiktionary, English limpreconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*limpanąWiktionary, English limp‘to hang down’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*limpanWiktionary, English limp‘to turn out well’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150limpanWiktionary, English limp‘to happen, occur’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500limpenWiktionary, English limp‘to fall short’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1976limpWiktionary, English limp. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1976, John C. Lawrence, H.C.H.S Support: “I think, too, of other organizations that are doing…”

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lemb-

Another origin of limp

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*lempreconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*limpreconstructed
  3. Englishtodaylimp

Today it means

verb To walk lamely, as if favoring one leg.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “limp”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)lemb- / limp

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