# subliminal
## English
### Etymology

* PIE word
* *upó
The adjective is derived from sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) +‎ liminal (“of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold”) (from Latin līminālis, from līmen (“doorstep, threshold; doorway, entrance; beginning, commencement”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l- (“to bend, bow; elbow”)) + *-mn̥ (suffix forming action nouns or result nouns from verbs)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship from nouns)). The English word is borrowed from German subliminal, or a calque of German unterschwellig (“subliminal”, literally “beneath the threshold”).
The noun is derived from the adjective.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: [ˌsʌbˈlɪm.ɪ.nl̩], [səˈblɪm.ɪ.nl̩]
* (General American) IPA: /səˈblɪm.ɪ.nəl/, [səˈblɪm.ɪ.nl̩]
** Audio (General American):(file)
* (General Australian) IPA: /ˌsabˈlɪm.ɪ.nəl/, [ˌsabˈlɪm.ɪ.nl̩]
* Hyphenation: sub‧li‧min‧al

### Adjective

subliminal (comparative more subliminal, superlative most subliminal)
* (physiology) Of a stimulus: below the limen or threshold of conscious perception, especially if still able to produce a response; also (generally), below the threshold where a response can be produced. [from late 19th c.]
    Synonyms: latent, underthreshold
    Antonym: superliminal
* (psychology) Without directed awareness or thought; subconscious (dated), unconscious. [from late 19th c.]
* (by extension) Of an advertisement, a message, etc.: conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it. [from mid 20th c.]

#### Alternative forms

* sub-liminal (dated)

#### Derived terms

* subliminality
* subliminally
* subliminal message
* subtweet

#### Related terms

* limen
* liminal
* liminality
* liminary
* liminoid
* sublime
* superliminal

#### Translations
### Noun

subliminal (plural subliminals)
* (physiology) Chiefly preceded by the: something which is below the limen or threshold of conscious perception. [from late 19th c.]
* (psychology) Chiefly preceded by the: the subconscious (dated) or unconscious self. [from late 19th c.]
* (by extension) An advertisement, a message, etc., which is conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it. [from mid 20th c.]

#### Hyponyms

* (advertisement): blipvert

#### Translations
### References

* ↑ “liminal, adj.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “liminal, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
* 1 2 “subliminal, adj. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “subliminal, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

### Further reading

* subliminal stimuli on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* subliminal (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## French
### Etymology

English subliminal, itself a calque from German unterschwellig.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sy.bli.mi.nal/
* Audio:(file)

### Adjective

subliminal (feminine subliminale, masculine plural subliminaux, feminine plural subliminales)
* subliminal
    Synonym: subliminaire
    Antonym: supraliminal

#### Derived terms

* subliminalement

### Further reading

* “subliminal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French subliminal.

### Adjective

subliminal m or n (feminine singular subliminală, masculine plural subliminali, feminine and neuter plural subliminale)
* subliminal

#### Declension
## Spanish
### Etymology

Morphologically sub- (“under, below”) + Latin līmen (“threshold”) (genitive līminis) + -al (“adjective”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /sublimiˈnal/ [su.β̞li.miˈnal]
* Rhymes: -al
* Syllabification: su‧bli‧mi‧nal

### Adjective

subliminal m or f (masculine and feminine plural subliminales)
* subliminal

#### Derived terms

* mensaje subliminal
* subliminalmente

### Further reading

* “subliminal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10