limp - four letter words

Following the thought of words serving in many ways in a sentence, take a look at limp. Interestingly, this word derives from different sources and has two meanings.

First there is limp the verb and the noun. Arising from Old English ‘lemphealt’ and manifested in Middle German ‘limpfen’, the action of limping means to walk in an uneven or unstable manner (as with an injured leg).

In  this context, the noun is used to identify the action that an individual displays e.g. ‘He walks with a limp’.

In contrast, the word limp, as a state of being, arises in and refers to an animate or inanimate object that is not firm. This extends, as a metaphor, to imply that someone is not energetic or displays little vitality. 

A useful example is the socially off-putting ‘limp handshake’ which, in some contexts, implies a weak or disinterested person.

In this context, the word is likely to have its origin in Icelandic 'limpa' which means 'looseness'.