# akimbo

> English word · Adjective · IPA /əˈkɪm.bəʊ/ · frequency rank #85,995

## Definitions
1. With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.
2. With legs spread and the knees bent in an outward or awkward way, sometimes with the feet touching.

## Etymology
From Middle English in kenebowe, in kene bowe (“in a keen bow”, i.e. “in a sharp bend or angle”), from in (“in”) + keen, kene (“brave, keen, sharp”) + bowe (“bow, bend”). Alternately, possibly from Old Norse kengr (“bent”) + bogi (“a bow”), compare Icelandic kengboginn (“bow-bent”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/akimbo