(anthropology, philosophy, sociology, psychology) The state or quality of ambiguity which exists in the middle stage of certain events or rituals (such as a rite of passage or a society-wide revolution), during which the participating individual or group no longer holds its pre-ritual status but has not yet attained the status it will hold when the ritual has been completed.

Of or pertaining to an entrance or threshold. / Of or pertaining to a beginning or first stage of a process.

plural of liminality

(chiefly US, law) At the beginning, as a preliminary matter; specifically, before a particular procedure or proceeding takes place.

(chiefly US, law) A motion made at the start of a trial requesting that the judge rule that certain evidence may not be introduced in a trial; most common in criminal trials where evidence is subject to constitutional limitations, such as statements made without Miranda warnings.

Alternative form of superliminal

(dated) Alternative form of subliminal