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liminal

[lim-uh-nl, lahy-muh-]
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adjective Psychology.
  1. of, relating to, or situated at the limen.
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Origin of liminal

1880–85; < Latin līmin- (stem of līmen) threshold + -al1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for liminal

Historical Examples

  • Meantime we are aware also of a substratum of fragmentary automatic, liminal ideas, of which we take small account.

    Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death

    Frederick W. H. Myers

  • This may be technically expressed by saying that the liminal intensity (Schwelle) is raised during sleep.

    Illusions

    James Sully

British Dictionary definitions for liminal

liminal

adjective
  1. psychol relating to the point (or threshold) beyond which a sensation becomes too faint to be experienced
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Word Origin

C19: from Latin līmen threshold
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for liminal

adj.

1884, from Latin limen "threshold, cross-piece, sill" (see limit (n.)) + -al (1). Related: Liminality.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
liminal in Medicine

liminal

(lĭm′ə-nəl)
adj.
  1. Relating to a threshold.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.