subliminal

Meanings

1. 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.
2. Without directed awareness or thought; subconscious (dated), unconscious.
3. Of an advertisement, a message, etc.: conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.

1. Chiefly preceded by the: something which is below the limen or threshold of conscious perception.
2. Chiefly preceded by the: the subconscious (dated) or unconscious self.
3. An advertisement, a message, etc., which is conveyed in a manner that a person is unaware of being influenced by it.
4. 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.

Etymology

PIE word *upó 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.