What does "threshold" mean?

1. (doorway) the floor at the bottom of a doorway that you step over to enter a room or building. 2. (the beginning) the point just before a new situation or a big change starts. 3. (trigger level) the level or point at which something starts to happen or change. 4. (runway start) the very beginning of the part of a runway where a plane can land.

threshold

US //ˈθɹɛˌʃoʊɫd// UK //θɹˈɛʃəʊld// thresh·old

1 doorway (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the floor at the bottom of a doorway that you step over to enter a room or building.

the piece of wood or stone which lies under a door; a sill that must be crossed to enter a structure.

Example

He paused at the threshold of the house, hesitant to step inside.

Example

The traditional custom involved the groom carrying the bride over the threshold to ensure good luck in their new home.
- doorstep
- sill
- entrance
2 the beginning (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

the point just before a new situation or a big change starts.

the point of entering or beginning a new state, period, or experience.

Example

The young graduates felt they were on the threshold of a new life.

Example

The discovery of the new vaccine placed the medical community on the threshold of a revolutionary era in preventative care.
- conclusion
- end

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3 trigger level (n.)
C1 Advanced Academic Technical Science

the level or point at which something starts to happen or change.

the magnitude or intensity that must be exceeded for a certain reaction, phenomenon, or condition to occur.

Example

Some people have a very low threshold for pain and feel it quickly.

Example

The sensor is programmed to ignore minor vibrations until they reach a specific threshold that indicates a potential structural failure.
4 runway start (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Aviation

the very beginning of the part of a runway where a plane can land.

the beginning of that portion of the runway usable for landing.

Example

The pilot lined up the aircraft with the runway threshold for a smooth landing.

Example

Heavy rain reduced visibility so much that the pilot could barely discern the threshold markings during the final approach.

Origin

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.