Etymograph

English

subthreshold

From sub- + threshold.

Formed from sub- + threshold

Proto-Indo-European *upó ‘up; from below’

Proto-Italic *supo ‘under’

Latin sub ‘under, beneath, below’

English sub-

Middle English threschwolde ‘a door-sill’

English threshold

Today it means

adj Of a stimulus: not strong enough to elicit a response.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “subthreshold”. 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 / subthreshold