THRESHOLD

[noun] [C] - the entrance to a building or room, the floor in this entrance, or (figurative) a point or level at which something begins or starts to take effectShe stopped on the threshold, looking to see who was in the room.It's an old tradition for a man to carry his wife over the threshold when they first enter their new home after getting married.(figurative) Are you over the higher tax threshold? (= Do you earn enough money to start paying a higher rate of tax?)(figurative) I have a low boredom/pain threshold (= I feel boredom/pain easily).We are on the threshold of (= very soon to start) a new era of European relations.