Can 手足 mean a limb?


According to jisho.org it [means](https://jisho.org/word/%E6%89%8B%E8%B6%B3)
"hands and feet; limbs​". But can it mean one limb (an arm or a leg)? I looked
in Daijisen, and there I see
[手と足](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E6%89%8B%E8%B6%B3_\(%E3%81%A6%E3%81%82%E3%81%97\)/).
So it seems like it's arms _and_ legs, not arms _or_ legs.

Then I looked at jisho.org for "limb," and found there
[枝](https://jisho.org/word/%E6%9E%9D). Which I looked in Daijisen, and one of
the meanings was
[人間や獣の手足](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E6%9E%9D_%28%E3%81%88%E3%81%A0%29/).

So which is it? Arms and legs? Or an arm or a leg (possibly in the plural)?




Usually, 手足 generically refers to the four limbs, such as in 手足を伸ばす ("to
stretch out"). If you want to say "a limb" referring to one specific person,
you usually have to say 手か足, not 手足. However, 手足 sometimes means "arm _or_
leg" when many unspecified people are involved. For example, when you say
something like 戦争で多くの人が手足に障害を受けた, this means that many people are impaired in
one or a few of their limbs, not all four.

At least in modern Japanese, 枝 never refers to limbs. If it's in a dictionary,
it's an obsolete meaning no one uses anymore. However, in medical, biological
or legal contexts, we use **肢【し】** (note the left radical, which is
[this](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/44763/5010)). For example, 四肢【しし】
is a stilted and technical alternative of 手足, and 上肢【じょうし】 is a medical term
for "upper extremities". In highly medical contexts, 肢 can be used alone to
refer to "(a) limb", but this should be avoided in ordinary conversation.




Usually, 手足 generically refers to the four limbs, such as in 手足を伸ばす ("to
stretch out"). If you want to say "a limb" referring to one specific person,
you usually have to say 手か足, not 手足. However, 手足 sometimes means "arm _or_
leg" when many unspecified people are involved. For example, when you say
something like 戦争で多くの人が手足に障害を受けた, this means that many people are impaired in
one or a few of their limbs, not all four.

At least in modern Japanese, 枝 never refers to limbs. If it's in a dictionary,
it's an obsolete meaning no one uses anymore. However, in medical, biological
or legal contexts, we use **肢【し】** (note the left radical, which is
[this](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/44763/5010)). For example, 四肢【しし】
is a stilted and technical alternative of 手足, and 上肢【じょうし】 is a medical term
for "upper extremities". In highly medical contexts, 肢 can be used alone to
refer to "(a) limb", but this should be avoided in ordinary conversation.

