limen

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin limen (“threshold”).

Noun

limen (plural limens or limina)

1. A liminal point; the threshold of a physiological or psychological response.

   • Liminal definition

     Of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold. (1 of 2 liminal definitions)

   • Point definition

     A discrete division of something.

     1. An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality. (1 of 59 point definitions)

   • Threshold definition

     The bottom-most part of a doorway that one crosses to enter; a sill. (1 of 8 threshold definitions)

   • Physiological definition

     Of, or relating to physiology. (1 of 2 physiological definitions)

   • Psychological definition

     Of or pertaining to psychology. (1 of 3 psychological definitions)

   • Response definition

     (1 of 10 response definitions)

Anagrams

• Melin, Milne, limne

Galician

Verb

limen

1. third-person plural present subjunctive of limar

   • Limar definition

     indefinite genitive singular of limur

Latin

Etymology

Likely related to līmus (“transverse, oblique”), with the suffix -men. See also līmes.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈliː.men/, [ˈlʲiːmɛn]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈli.men/, [ˈliːmen]

Noun

līmen n (genitive līminis); third declension

1. threshold, doorstep, sill (bottom-most part of a doorway)

   • Doorstep definition

     An outside step leading up to the door of a building, usually a home. (1 of 3 doorstep definitions)

   • Sill definition

     A breast wall; window breast; horizontal brink which forms the base of a window. (1 of 6 sill definitions)
2. lintel

   • Lintel definition

     A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.
3. threshold, entrance, doorway, approach; door

   Synonyms: ingressus, iānua, initium, foris, porta, ingressiō, vestibulum

   Antonym: abitus

   • Entrance definition

     The action of entering, or going in. (1 of 9 entrance definitions)

   • Doorway definition

     The passage of a door; a door-shaped entrance into a house or a room.

   • Approach definition

     To come or go near, in place or time; to move toward; to advance nearer; to draw nigh. (1 of 10 approach definitions)

   • Door definition

     A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. Doors are frequently made of wood or metal. May have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold the door closed, and a lock that ensures the door cannot be opened without the key. (1 of 8 door definitions)

   • Ingressus definition

     entered (1 of 3 ingressus definitions)

   • Ianua definition

     any double-doored entrance (e.g. a domestic door or a gate to a temple or city) (1 of 2 ianua definitions)

   • Initium definition

     beginning, start (1 of 3 initium definitions)

   • Foris definition

     door (1 of 4 foris definitions)

   • Porta definition

     The part of the liver or other organ where its vessels and nerves enter; the hilum. (1 of 2 porta definitions)

   • Ingressio definition

     entering (1 of 2 ingressio definitions)

   • Vestibulum definition

     A cavity into which, in certain bryozoans, the esophagus and anus open. (1 of 2 vestibulum definitions)

   • Abitus definition

     a going away; departure. (1 of 2 abitus definitions)
4. house, home, abode, dwelling

   • House definition

     A structure built or serving as an abode of human beings. (1 of 22 house definitions)

   • Home definition

     A dwelling.

     1. One’s own dwelling place; the house or structure in which one lives; especially the house in which one lives with one's family; the habitual abode of one’s family; also, one’s birthplace.
     2. The place where a person was raised; childhood or parental home; home of one’s parents or guardian.
     3. The abiding place of the affections, especially of the domestic affections.
     4. A house that has been made home-like, to suit the comfort of those who live there. (1 of 16 home definitions)

   • Abode definition

     Act of waiting; delay. (1 of 3 abode definitions)

   • Dwelling definition

     A house or place in which a person lives; a habitation, a home.
5. beginning, commencement

   Synonyms: initium, prīmōrdium, prīncipium, orīgō, rudīmentum, exordium

   Antonym: fīnis

   • Beginning definition

     The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states. (1 of 4 beginning definitions)

   • Commencement definition

     The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; the beginning. (1 of 3 commencement definitions)

   • Primordium definition

     An aggregation of cells that is the first stage in the development of an organ.

   • Principium definition

     a beginning, an origin, a commencement (1 of 4 principium definitions)

   • Origo definition

     The reference point on which a deictic relationship is based.

   • Rudimentum definition

     first attempt (1 of 3 rudimentum definitions)

   • Exordium definition

     A beginning. (1 of 2 exordium definitions)

   • Finis definition

     The end (of a book or other work).
6. end, termination

   • End definition

     The terminal point of something in space or time. (1 of 14 end definitions)

   • Termination definition

     The process of terminating or the state of being terminated. (1 of 10 termination definitions)

Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

Derived terms

Related terms

• līmus
• līmes
• sublīmis

Descendants

References

• “limen”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “limen”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• limen in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• limen in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to cross the threshold: pedem limine efferre
    
• “limen”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “limen”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
• von Wartburg, Walther (1928–2002), “līmen”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 5: J L, page 343

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From lijm +‎ -en.

Verb

limen

1. to glue, to make stick with glue

   • Glue definition

     A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance. (1 of 3 glue definitions)

   • Stick definition

     An elongated piece of wood or similar material, typically put to some use, for example as a wand or baton.

     1. A small, thin branch from a tree or bush; a twig; a branch. (1 of 54 stick definitions)

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: lijmen
• Limburgish: lieme

Further reading

• “limen”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “limen”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

limen m

1. definite singular of lime

   • Lime definition

     Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime). (1 of 3 lime definitions)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

limen m

1. definite singular of lime

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lǐmen/
• Hyphenation: li‧men

Adjective

lìmen (definite lìmenī, Cyrillic spelling лѝмен)

1. (relational) tin, sheet metal

   • Tin definition

     A malleable, ductile, metallic element, resistant to corrosion, with atomic number 50 and symbol Sn. (1 of 6 tin definitions)

   • Sheet Metal definition

     Metal worked into a thin, flat sheet, used widely as construction material and raw material for a multitude of industrial products. It is thicker than foil and thinner than plate.

Declension

Spanish

Etymology 1

From Latin līmen.

Noun

limen m (plural límenes)

1. (poetic) threshold, doorstep

   Synonym: umbral

   • Poetic definition

     Relating to poetry. (1 of 3 poetic definitions)

   • Umbral definition

     Of or pertaining to an umbra.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

limen

1. inflection of limar:
   1. third-person plural present subjunctive
   2. third-person plural imperative

Further reading

• “limen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014