liminality

American  

[lim-uh-nal-i-tee] / ˌlɪm əˈnæl ɪ ti /

noun

Anthropology.

1. the transitional period or phase of a rite of passage, during which the participant lacks social status or rank, remains anonymous, shows obedience and humility, and follows prescribed forms of conduct, dress, etc.

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Usage

What does liminality mean? Liminality is a state of transition between one stage and the next, especially between major stages in one’s life or during a rite of passage. The concept of liminality was first developed and is used most often in the science of anthropology (the study of human origins, behavior, and culture). In a general sense, liminality is an in-between period, typically marked by uncertainty. Example: After graduation, many students find themselves in a state of liminality before they’re fully established in the workplace.

Etymology

Origin of liminality

< Latin līmin- (stem of līmen ) threshold + -al ¹ + -ity

Explanation

Liminality is a quality of being in between two places or stages, on the verge of transitioning to something new. There's a liminality to the brief moment between being asleep and being fully awake. Periods of liminality are transitional, sometimes disorienting, and frequently involve waiting for something new to begin. A good example is the summer after high school graduation; whether you're starting college in the fall or looking for a job, you're on the verge of crossing a threshold into a new stage of your life. Liminality is rooted in this idea of a threshold (limen in Latin), a kind of doorway between the past and the future.

Example Sentences

Though that’s the problem with liminality, isn’t it?

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2021

This liminality is the lens through which Lisicky focuses his experience.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2020

So, I've always been really captivated by stories that take place on boats — close quarters and kind of the liminality of being between two docking points.

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2020

The Atlantic creoles’ liminality, particularly their lack of identity with any one group, posed numerous dangers.

From Slate • May 18, 2015

Zummo is driven as an artist by the desire to endow his creations with this elusive quality of ambiguity; what the English collector he meets at the Medici court calls "liminality".

From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2013