The origin of the English word “limit” can be traced back to the Latin noun limes, meaning “path” or “boundary.” The evolution of this word has led to the creation of several other related words in the English language. For example, the Latin word for “threshold,” limen, has given rise to words like liminal (related to thresholds), sublime (reaching a high threshold), eliminate (going beyond the threshold), and preliminary (occurring before the threshold). Additionally, the word lintel, used to describe horizontal support beams, is also connected to thresholds and has its roots in the Latin word limes.
The Latin word limes itself is derived from the Latin word limus, meaning “askew,” which is believed to come from the Proto-Indo-European word hehl, meaning “to bend.” Interestingly, there is another Latin word, limbus, which also means “border” and has given us the theological concept of limbo, although this word has no etymological connection to limes.
