threshold
/ˈθrɛʃ.hoʊld/
Definition
The strip of floor at the bottom of a doorway; more broadly, the point at which something begins or changes.
Example
She paused at the threshold before entering the room.
Show translation
She paused at the threshold before entering the room.
Etymology
Old English *therscold* / *therxold*, related to *threscan* ("to thresh, tread"). The original sense was the stone or plank trodden underfoot at a doorway — literally the place where grain was once threshed. By the Middle Ages it had extended to mean any boundary or point of entry, and by the 19th century it gained its modern figurative sense in science and psychology (e.g., "pain threshold").
Cultural note
In many Western traditions, carrying a bride over the threshold of a new home is a well-known wedding custom, symbolising the transition into a new life together. Figuratively, "threshold" is widely used in science (pain threshold, hearing threshold) and business (threshold for approval), making it one of those rare words that is equally at home in everyday conversation and technical writing.