akimbo (English)

Where does "akimbo" come from?

The English word 'akimbo' derives from the Middle English phrase 'in kenebowe', meaning 'in a keen bow' or 'in a sharp bend or angle'[1]. This earlier form combined the elements 'in', 'keen' or 'kene' meaning 'sharp', and 'bowe' meaning 'bend'[1]. Alternatively, the word may trace back to Old Norse elements such as 'kengr' meaning 'bent' combined with 'bogi' meaning 'a bow'[1].

Open questions

• The etymology has an alternate proposed origin from Old Norse kengr combined with bogi. [1]

Full etymology tree

• akimbo (English), 'With a crook or bend; with the hand on the hip and elbow turned outward.'
  • compound kengr (Old Norse), 'a horseshoe-formed crook'
    • inherited *kengaz (Proto-Germanic)
      • derived *keng- (Proto-Germanic)
  • compound bogi (Old Norse), 'bow (archery)'
    • inherited *bugô (Proto-Germanic), 'bow (weapon)'

Ancestors

• *bʰewgʰ- (Proto-Indo-European)
• kengr (Old Norse)

Cognates and doublets

• kengboginn (Icelandic)

Sources

1. akimbo (English) - Wiktionary
2. kengr (Old Norse) - Wiktionary
3. bogi (Old Norse) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris