Where does “subliminal” come from?

subliminal (English) comes from German unterschwellig, from German Unter, from Middle High German under, from Old High German untar, from Proto-Germanic under, from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér, from Proto-Indo-European h₁en — in; in, inside.

subliminal (English): Below the threshold of conscious perception,...

Definitions

  1. Below the threshold of conscious perception,...

Ancestry of “subliminal”, step by step

subliminal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German unterschwellig

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanunterschwelligsubliminal
2GermanUnterjack, knave
3Middle High Germanunder—
4Old High Germanuntarunder
5Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside

via English liminal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishliminalOf or pertaining to an entrance or threshold; Of...
2Latinliminalis—
3Latinlīmenthreshold, doorstep, sill bottom-most part of a doorway

Words derived from “subliminal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →