subliminal
[ˌsʌbˈlɪm.ɪ.nl̩]
subliminal means 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. It carries an Arena rating of 1698, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, subliminal ranks #2,460 of 17,052 for Most Exacting Words, #2,538 of 17,052 for Most Incisive Words, #2,819 of 17,052 for Most Malleable Words, #2,906 of 17,052 for Scariest Words.
subliminal is pronounced [ˌsʌbˈlɪm.ɪ.nl̩].
Why “subliminal” is a great word
Operating below the threshold of conscious perception, yet capable of influencing thought or behavior. From the Latin sub- ("under") + limen, liminis ("threshold") + -alis (adjectival suffix); first recorded in English use in 1873. Unlike "supraliminal" (which announces itself directly to the senses) or "conscious" (which denotes a realm of active awareness), the subliminal is the ghost in the machine. It is the single frame of a drink spliced into a film, the shape in peripheral vision that vanishes when stared at directly, the scent of rain before the clouds break that colors a mood—the quiet, persistent proof that the mind has back doors through which the world enters unannounced.
Etymology
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.
adj
- 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.
- Without directed awareness or thought; subconscious (dated), unconscious.
- Of an advertisement, a message, etc.: conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.
noun
- Chiefly preceded by the: something which is below the limen or threshold of conscious perception.
- Chiefly preceded by the: the subconscious (dated) or unconscious self.
- An advertisement, a message, etc., which is conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.
- An audio or video recording, often consisting of ambient music or white noise with hidden affirmations, intended to produce physical or psychological changes in the listener through repetition.e.g.“She spent all night listening to a subliminal to change her eye color.”
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