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definitions

liminal

[ lim-uh-nl, lahy-muh- ]
/ ˈlɪm ə nl, ˈlaɪ mə- /
|

adjective Psychology.

of, relating to, or situated at the limen.

Nearby words

  1. limewood,
  2. limey,
  3. limicoline,
  4. limicolous,
  5. limina,
  6. liminality,
  7. liming,
  8. limit,
  9. limit dextrin,
  10. limit dextrinase

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for liminal

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

    Illusions|James Sully

  • 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
British Dictionary definitions for liminal

liminal

/ (ˈlɪmɪnəl) /

adjective

psychol relating to the point (or threshold) beyond which a sensation becomes too faint to be experienced

Word Origin for liminal

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

liminal

adj.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for liminal

liminal

[ lĭm′ə-nəl ]

adj.

Relating to a threshold.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.