Etymograph

English

liminal

Liminal comes from Latin līmināris ‘of or pertaining to the threshold or lintel’, and goes back to līmen.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmen1‘doorstep, threshold’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmināris1‘of or pertaining to the threshold or lintel’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1870liminal1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English liminal
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1870, Tertullian, Of Modesty: “[W]ith the utmost strictness, we excommunicate digamists, as bringing…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīmenWiktionary, English liminal‘doorstep, threshold’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElīminārisWiktionary, English liminal‘of or pertaining to the threshold or lintel’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1870liminalWiktionary, English liminal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1870, Tertullian, Of Modesty: “[W]ith the utmost strictness, we excommunicate digamists, as bringing…”

The story

Līmen is possibly derived from līmus (‘askew; sideways’) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- (‘to bend, bow; elbow’)) + -men (suffix forming neuter nouns of the third declension) (from Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ (suffix forming action nouns or result nouns from verbs)).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Latin līmen ‘doorstep, threshold’

preliminary, eliminate, elimination, sublime, sublimation, sublimate, 5 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “liminal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin līmen / liminal

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