The opening in a wall where a door is fitted, or the space you walk through to enter or leave a room or building. It can also be used figuratively for the beginning or entry point into an activity or situation.
Formed in English from 'door' + 'way', combining the idea of the barrier and the path. Both parts are of Old English origin. The compound emphasizes the passage itself, not just the object that closes it.
A doorway is a zero-width space where you are neither fully in nor fully out—just crossing. Psychologists even talk about 'threshold effects' when small changes suddenly flip a system into a new state. That tiny slice of space has become a model for how we think about transitions of all kinds.
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