threshold
nounEtymology
From Middle English threschwolde, threscholde, from Old English þresċold, þerxold, þrexwold (“doorsill, entryway”), from Proto-Germanic *þreskudlaz, *þreskūþlijaz, *þreskwaþluz, from Proto-Germanic *þreskaną, *þreskwaną (“to thresh, (originally) to tread”), from Proto-Indo-European *terh₁- (“to rub, turn”). Cognate with Low German Drüssel (“threshold”), dialectal German Drischaufel, Drissufle, Trüschübel (“threshold”), Danish tærskel (“threshold”), Norwegian terskel (“threshold”), Swedish tröskel (“threshold”), dialectal Swedish träskvald (“threshold”), Icelandic þröskuldur (“threshold”). Pronunciations such as “thresh-hold” are un-etymological and result from analogy with hold.
- derived from *þreskaną✻
- inherited from *þreskudlaz✻
- inherited from þresċold
- inherited from threschwolde
Definitions
The lowermost part of a doorway that one crosses to enter
The lowermost part of a doorway that one crosses to enter; a sill.
An entrance
An entrance; the door or gate of a house.
- Shy. You that did voide your rume vpon my beard, / And foote me as you ſpurne a ſtranger curre / Ouer your threſhold, […]
Any end or boundary.
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The outset of something
The outset of something; the point of entry, or the beginning of an action.
- The first half of this century has been referred to as the golden age of medicine. To me it seems more probable that we are on the threshold of a much greater age.
The start of the landing area of a runway.
The quantitative point at which an action is triggered, especially a lower limit.
The wage or salary at which income tax becomes due.
The point where one is mentally or physically vulnerable in response to a provocation or…
The point where one is mentally or physically vulnerable in response to a provocation or to other nuisances.
The neighborhood
- antonymlintelantonym(s) of “bottom-most part of a doorway”
Derived
Vish — recursive loop
A definitional loop anchored at threshold. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.
A definitional loop anchored at threshold. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.
7 hops · closes at threshold
curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA