English[]
Etymology[]
From Latin liminalis, from limen, "threshold", + -alis, adjective ending
Adjective[]
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Singular |
Plural |
Liminal ({{{1}}})
- Pertaining to a threshold or entrance.
- Relating to a beginning or first stage of a process; inceptive; inchoative; marginal; insignificant.
Quotations[]
- 1888: James Sully, Outlines of psychology, p. 114
- Every stimulus must reach a certain intensity before any appreciable sensation results. This point is known as the threshold or liminal intensity.
- 1999: Sarah Iles Johnston, Restless Dead, p. 209
- Second, spaces such as the threshold of a door are “liminal,” lying between otherwise defined areas without belonging to either of them.
Related terms[]
- liminality
- liminary
- limit
- subliminal
References[]
- Liminal in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
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