liminal
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 22, 2021 is:
liminal \LIM-uh-nul\ adjective
Liminal is used to describe something that is barely perceptible or that involves a transitional or in-between state.
// The essay presents an image of the border region as a liminal zone where one culture blends into another.
Examples:
"In the vast but liminal space of the ocean, cargo vessels—some of the largest machines on the planet—have generally operated in obscurity." — Aurora Almendral, The New York Times, 27 June 2021
"This new body of work glows with a more subtle light. [Rick Worth] captures a particular summer kind of Key West glow, the liminal luminosity of streetlights on the poincianas or the dappled glow of sea grapes of Fort Zach." — The Key West (Florida) Citizen, 30 June 2021
Did you know?
When liminal first appeared in written use, it referred to something (such as a physical stimulus) which was just barely perceptible, or just barely capable of eliciting a response. This meaning is still in use today in constructions like "liminal auditory stimuli." The word comes from the noun limen, which refers to the point at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced. In its most common extended meaning now, it describes a state, place, or condition of transition, as in “the liminal zone between sleep and wakefulness.” The closely related word subliminal means “below a threshold”; it can describe something inadequate to produce a sensation or something operating below a threshold of consciousness.
