Where does “subliminal” come from?
subliminal (French) comes from English subliminal, 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 (French): subliminal
Ancestry of “subliminal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | subliminal | Below the threshold of conscious perception,... |
| 2 | German | unterschwellig | subliminal |
| 3 | German | Unter | jack, knave |
| 4 | Middle High German | under | — |
| 5 | Old High German | untar | under |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | under | among, between; under, beneath; under |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁entér | between |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁en | in; in, inside |
Words derived from “subliminal”