crossing the threshold

Words are alive, they have histories, give birth and die. Let me explain.

If we look up the word "threshold" in the dictionary we will see it defined as
: the plank, stone, or piece of timber that lies under a door
: the place or point of entering or beginning
: the point at which a physiological/psychological effect begins

Let's dip into history and examine the origins of this word. A stone placed in a doorway needed to be strong and resilient to withstand high levels of traffic. This stone was hard enough for a farmer to thresh his wheat hence "threshold". So the word has a history.

Threshing separates the wheat from the chaff. The chaff was thrown outside into the mud, the wheat was brought inside. This meaning evolved from the tangible into the intangible concept of separating the good from the bad, the sacred from the profane and thus a new meaning of "threshold" was born.

Today, the word "threshold" is very much alive but no one uses it do indicate a stone upon which wheat is threshed and that usage has died.

Words are alive, they have histories, give birth and die.

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