limbo

noun

/ˈlɪmbəʊ/

(plural limbos)

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[countable] a West Indian dance in which you lean backwards and go under a bar that is made lower each time you go under it林波舞（西印度群岛舞蹈，舞者向后弯腰钻过一次比一次降低的横杆）
[uncountable, singular] a situation in which you are not certain what to do next, cannot take action, etc., especially because you are waiting for somebody else to make a decision（尤指因等待他人作决定）处于不定状态
- the limbo of the stateless person无国籍人的不安定状态
- in limbo His life seemed stuck in limbo; he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。

Word Originsense 2 late Middle English: from the medieval Latin phrase in limbo, from limbus ‘hem, border, limbo’.sense 1 1950s: from limber.

BNC: 14647 COCA: 12798

limbo

Uncertainty and being uncertain: uncertainty, doubt, reservation...