in limine
/ɪn ˈlɪmɪni/
adverb and prepositional phrase
Origin
Latin
limen — threshold, door-sill, entrance
Overview
Meaning Now
- At the very beginning; at the threshold.
- Specifically in a legal context, pertaining to a preliminary motion or hearing held to exclude evidence before it is presented to a jury.
Literal older meaning
On the threshold
Language path
Latin → English
Earliest form
in limine
Earliest period
Classical Latin
Journey
The phrase originates from Roman architecture, where the 'limen' was the structural threshold of a house. In Roman law and rhetoric, beginning a speech or a trial 'in limine' implied positioning oneself at the entrance, establishing the ground rules or core arguments before proceeding into the heart of the matter. This survives today in the legal term 'motion in limine'.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
in līmine
“on the threshold”
Used literally to describe physical location at a doorway.
- Late Latin
in līmine
“at the beginning of a matter”
Metaphorical extension used in rhetoric.
- 17th Century English
in limine
“at the outset or start”
Direct loan adoption into English legal and scholarly discourse.
Connections
Word parts
in
prefix
in, at
limine
root
ablative of limen (threshold)
Related across languages
Italian
limine
threshold
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Related to in limine
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.