/ ˈθreʃhəʊld; NAmE -hoʊld/ noun
1.
the floor or ground at the bottom of a doorway , considered as the entrance to a building or room :
She stood hesitating on the threshold.
He stepped across the threshold.
2.
the level at which sth starts to happen or have an effect :
He has a low boredom threshold (= he gets bored easily) .
I have a high pain threshold (= I can suffer a lot of pain before I start to react) .
My earnings are just above the tax threshold (= more than the amount at which you start paying tax) .
3.
[ usually sing. ] the point just before a new situation, period of life, etc. begins :
She felt as though she was on the threshold of a new life.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English therscold , threscold ; related to German dialect Drischaufel ; the first element is related to thresh (in a Germanic sense tread), but the origin of the second element is unknown.