Origin and history of threshold

threshold(n.)

"plank, stone, or piece of wood under a door or doorway, especially in a dwelling," Middle English thresh-wolde, from Old English þrescold, þærscwold, þerxold, etc., "door-sill, point of entering," a word of uncertain origin and probably much altered by folk-etymology.

The first element probably is related to Old English þrescan (see thresh), either in its current sense of "thresh" or with its original sense of "to tread, trample." The second element has been much transformed in all the Germanic languages, suggesting its literal sense was lost even in ancient times. In English it probably has been altered to conform to hold.

Liberman (Oxford University Press blog, Feb. 11, 2015) revives an old theory that the second element is the Proto-Germanic instrumental suffix *-thlo and the original sense of threshold was a threshing area adjacent to the living area of a house. Cognates of the compound include Old Norse þreskjoldr, Swedish tröskel, Old High German driscufli, German dialectal drischaufel.

The figurative use was in Old English, "border or beginning of a region or place;" later in reference to the beginning of a state or condition (victory, freedom, manhood, etc.).

Entries linking to threshold

hold(v.)

"keep fast or close," as in the grasp of the hand; "control or prevent the movement of" by grasping or constraint; Middle English holden, earlier halden, from Old English haldan (Anglian), healdan (West Saxon), "to contain; to grasp; to retain" (liquid, etc.); also "observe, fulfill (a custom, etc.); have as one's own; have in mind," of opinions, etc.; also "possess, control, rule; detain, lock up; to foster, cherish, keep watch over; continue in existence or action; keep back from action."

It was a class VII strong verb (past tense heold, past participle healden), from Proto-Germanic *haldanan (source also of Old Saxon haldan, Old Frisian halda, Old Norse halda, Dutch houden, German halten "to hold," Gothic haldan "to tend").

Based on the Gothic sense (also a secondary meaning in Old English), the Germanic verb is "generally accepted" [OED 1989] to have meant originally "to keep, tend, watch over" (as grazing cattle) and later expanded in the direction of "have as one's own."

The ancestral sense would be preserved in behold. The original past participle holden was replaced by held from 16c. but survives in some legal jargon and in beholden.

The commercial sense of "not sell" (certain goods or products) is by 1875, American English; that of "keep back, delay" (payment, etc.) is by 1891. The modern use of the verb in the sense of "lock up, keep in custody" is attested by 1868.

To hold back in the figurative senses is attested from 1530s, transitive, "restrain;" and by 1570s, intransitive, "retain."

To hold down (transitive) "keep in subjugation" is by 1530s; the sense of "remain in" a position, "continue to occupy" is by 1886, U.S. colloquial.

To hold off "keep aloof, keep at a distance" is attested by early 15c. (transitive), also "to delay." The intransitive sense of "keep (oneself) at a distance or away" is by c. 1600.

To hold forth "speak in public, preach" is by 1660s, from Philippians ii.16, from the earlier meaning "proffer, set forth" (1550s). Earlier it meant "keep up, maintain; go forth" (Middle English).

To hold on is attested by early 13c. as "maintain one's course of action, continue, keep up;" by 1830 as "cling, keep one's grip (on something)." It is attested by 1839 as "wait! stop!" and in that sense was criticized at the time as a "very vulgar" Americanism.

To hold (one's) tongue "be silent, keep one's tongue still" is from late 13c.; hold (one's) peace in the same sense is by c. 1300. To hold one's nose to avoid a bad smell is by c.1200 (heold nease). To hold (one's) own "keep one's present condition or advantage" is by early 14c.

To hold (one's) horses figuratively as "be patient" is by 1840, American English (early use seems to cluster in New Orleans); the notion is of keeping a tight grip on the reins.

To hold (someone's) hand in the figurative sense of "give comfort or moral support" is by 1935. To hold water in the figurative sense of "be consistent, valid or sound throughout" is by 1620s, perhaps 1530s.

To have and to hold have been paired alliteratively at least since c. 1200, originally in reference to marriage but also of real estate.

thresh(v.)

the earlier form of thrash, kept in reference to separating grain or seed from chaff and some figurative senses, Middle English threshen, from Old English þrescan, þerscan, "to beat, sift grain by trampling or beating," from Proto-Germanic *threskan "to thresh," originally "to tread, to stamp noisily" (source also of Middle Dutch derschen, Dutch dorschen, Old High German dreskan, German dreschen, Old Norse þreskja, Swedish tröska, Gothic þriskan). This is reconstructed in Watkins to be from PIE root *tere- (1) "to rub, turn."

The notion is of men or oxen treading out wheat; later, with the advent of the flail, the word acquired its modern extended sense of "to knock, beat, strike" (late 12c.); "defeat" (c. 1200).

The original Germanic sense is suggested by the use of the word in Romanic languages that borrowed it, such as Italian trescare "to prance," Old French treschier "to dance," Spanish triscar "stamp the feet." For metathesis of -r- and vowel, see wright.

As a noun, "threshed grain, straw," mid-15c. Threshing-floor "area on which grain is beaten out" is from late 14c.

*tere-(1)

*terə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to rub, turn," with derivatives referring to twisting, also to boring, drilling, piercing; and to the rubbing of cereal grain to remove the husks, and thus to threshing.

It might form all or part of: atresia; attorn; attorney; attrition; contour; contrite; detour; detriment; diatribe; drill (v.) "bore a hole;" lithotripsy; return; septentrion; thrash; thread; thresh; throw; threshold; trauma; trepan; tribadism; tribology; tribulation; trite; triticale; triturate; trout; trypsin; tryptophan; turn.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit turah "wounded, hurt;" Greek teirein "to rub, rub away;" Latin terere "to rub, thresh, grind, wear away," tornus "turning lathe;" Old Church Slavonic tiro "to rub;" Lithuanian trinu, trinti "to rub," Old Irish tarathar "borer," Welsh taraw "to strike."