umbral

See also: Umbral

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʌmbɹəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌmbɹəl
• Homophone: umbrel

Adjective

umbral (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to an umbra.
2. (mathematics) Of or relating to umbral calculus.

Derived terms

• umbral algebra
• umbral calculus
• umbrally
• umbral moonshine

Anagrams

• Labrum, brumal, labrum, lumbar

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish umbral (“doorstep, threshold”), from Catalan limbrar, from Latin limināris. Doublet of liminar and limiar.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ũˈbɾaw/ [ũˈbɾaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ũˈbɾal/ [ũˈbɾaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ũˈbɾal/ [ũˈbɾaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ũˈbɾa.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: um‧bral

Noun

umbral m (plural umbrais)

1. threshold (area in front of a door)

   Synonyms: limiar, soleira

2. jamb (upright post that frames a door or window)

   Synonym: ombreira

3. (Spiritism) a shadowy transitory realm to where immoral spirits are attracted after their physical death

Related terms

• umbralino

Further reading

• “umbral”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *Heh₃l-der.?

Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥

Proto-Italic *-mn̥

Latin -men

Latin līmen

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin -āris

Latin līminārisder.

Spanish lumbral

Spanish umbral

From earlier lumbral, with a loss of the initial l- due to rebracketing of el lumbral; from Latin līmināris. Influenced by lumbre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /umˈbɾal/ [ũmˈbɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: um‧bral

Noun

umbral m (plural umbrales)

1. doorstep; stoop

   Synonym: limen

2. (figurative) threshold
   • 2020 October 9, “Única alternativa”, in El País‎^[1], archived from the original on 1 November 2020:

     El Gobierno había fijado en 500 ese umbral, entre otros criterios.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2023 May 31, Miguel Ángel Criado, “Siete de los nueve umbrales que permiten la vida humana sobre la Tierra ya han sido sobrepasados”, in El País‎^[2], archived from the original on 9 June 2023, retrieved 31 May 2023:

     Ahora, un nuevo informe recién publicado en Nature cuantifica por primera vez los umbrales para cada uno de estos problemas que no deberían sobrepasarse para que el sistema terrestre sea seguro y justo no solo para los humanos actuales, sino para las generaciones futuras.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• umbralar

Descendants

• → Portuguese: umbral

Further reading

• “umbral”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025