:a piece of wood, metal, or stone that forms the bottom of a door and that you walk over as you enter a room or building门槛
He stepped across the threshold.他迈过门槛。
When they were married he carried her over the threshold. [=he picked her up and carried her into their home when they entered it together for the first time]他们结婚时,他把她抱进家门。
2
:the point or level at which something begins or changes临界点;起始点
If your income rises above a certain threshold, your tax rate also rises.如果收入超过某个定值,税率也会增加。
sounds that are above/below the threshold of hearing [=sounds that are too high/low to be heard]高/低于听觉临界点的声音
I have a low threshold for boredom. [=I get bored easily]我很容易厌烦。
He has a high pain threshold. [=he does not feel pain as easily as other people]他的痛阈很高。
on/at the threshold
:at the beginning of something or very close to something (such as a new condition, an important discovery, etc.)在…的开始;接近 — usually + of
young people on the threshold of adulthood即将成年的年轻人
We are (standing) at the threshold of a great adventure.我们马上就要开始伟大的探险。
: a level, point, or value above which something is true or will take place and below which it is not or will not
Did you know?
The earliest known use of threshold in the English language is from Alfred the Great's Old English translation of the Roman philosopher Boethius's De consolatione philosophiae. In this translation, which was written around 888, threshold appears as þeorscwold (that first letter is called a thorn and it was used in Old English and Middle English to indicate the sounds produced by th in thin and this). The origins of this Old English word are not known, though it is believed to be related to Old English threscan, from which we get the words thresh, meaning "to separate seed from (a harvested plant) using a machine or tool" and thrash, meaning, among other things, "to beat soundly with or as if with a stick or whip."
… we still hadn't grasped that we had crossed a threshold where it no longer mattered what passport you carried, that you were young and loved, … or that you were a noncombatant. Paul Salopek, National Geographic, April 2008As we speak, the very worst of humanity is on the threshold of acquiring the most powerful weapons in history—this is a fear and a consideration to be taken very seriously. Charles Krauthammer, New Republic, 29 Apr. 2002We thought that we were on the threshold of an age of space travel. But the greatest impact of the trip to the moon was on how we view the Earth. Suzannah Lessard, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2001 He stepped across the threshold. If your income rises above a certain threshold, your tax rate also rises.
Recent Examples on the WebWith that support, Democrats hope to pass the bill on a party-line vote through a process known as budget reconciliation that would allow approval with a simple majority and avoid the 60-vote threshold to overcome a Republican filibuster. Editors, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2022 To avoid the 60-vote threshold necessary for most legislation in the Senate and pass the bill with a simple majority in the Senate, Democrats are pursuing a process called reconciliation. Andrew Duehren, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 But this time, the legislation got support from only 55 senators, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold to advance bills and overcome filibusters. Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 29 July 2022 Her bill could likely pass the House but faces a more difficult battle in the Senate, where immigration legislation lacks public support from enough lawmakers to reach the 60-vote threshold for passage. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2022 Under the filibuster rule, most bills have to clear a 60-vote threshold to reach a final vote. Harold Maass, The Week, 1 July 2022 Ending the filibuster -- the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to pass most legislation -- would mean bills could pass by a simple majority instead of being held up by a minority. Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 1 July 2022 But the Democratic effort to strip the Hyde Amendment is unlikely to succeed so long as the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster remains in effect. Erik Wasson, Bloomberg.com, 30 June 2022 But while some of his colleagues are floating ideas like expanding the number of seats on the Supreme Court and eliminating the Senate’s 60-vote threshold known as the filibuster to counter the court’s decision, Peters is all in on the ballot box. Julie Tsirkin, NBC News, 27 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English thresshold, from Old English threscwald; akin to Old Norse threskjǫldr threshold, Old English threscan to thresh
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of threshold was before the 12th century
1doorway門口;門道VERB + THRESHOLD | PREPOSITIONVERB + THRESHOLD➤cross跨過門檻PREPOSITION➤across the threshold, over the threshold跨過門檻◇He hesitated before stepping across the threshold.他猶豫了一下才跨過門檻。➤on the threshold在門口◇She stood on the threshold, unsure whether to enter.她站在門口,不知道是否該進去。threshold
noun²
2level水平ADJECTIVE | VERB + THRESHOLD | THRESHOLD + NOUN | PREPOSITIONADJECTIVE➤high, low高門檻;低門檻▸➤maximum, minimum最高門檻;最低門檻▸➤critical臨界閾➤poverty貧困線▸➤tax (especially BrE) 稅收起徵點▸➤boredom, pain忍受無聊的限度;痛閾◇He has an extremely low pain threshold.他的痛閾極低。VERB + THRESHOLD➤have有界點▸➤reach達到界點◇The number of people with the disease is reaching a critical threshold.此病患者人數即將達到臨界關口。➤meet達到臨界值▸➤cross, exceed超過臨界值▸➤determine, set確定/設定起始標準◇They earn wages below the threshold set by the government.他們的工資低於政府設定的最低標準。➤raise提高界點▸➤lower降低界點THRESHOLD + NOUN➤level, value門限水平;閾值◇Below a certain threshold level a person will not be able to detect sound.聲音低於一定門限水平時,人就聽不到了。PREPOSITION➤above a/the threshold, below a/the threshold超過/低於門限◇Her wages are below the income tax threshold.她的工資低於個人所得稅起徵點。