margin

¹mar·gin

noun \ˈmär-jən\

Definition of MARGIN

1

: the part of a page or sheet outside the main body of printed or written matter

2

: the outside limit and adjoining surface of something : edge <at the margin of the woods> <continental margin>

3

a : a spare amount or measure or degree allowed or given for contingencies or special situations <left no margin for error> b (1) : a bare minimum below which or an extreme limit beyond which something becomes impossible or is no longer desirable <on the margin of good taste> (2) : the limit below which economic activity cannot be continued under normal conditions c : an area, state, or condition excluded from or existing outside the mainstream <the margins of critical discourse — Barbara L. Packer> <living in society's margins>

4

a : the difference which exists between net sales and the cost of merchandise sold and from which expenses are usually met or profit derived b : the excess market value of collateral over the face of a loan c (1) : cash or collateral that is deposited by a client with a commodity or securities broker to protect the broker from loss on a contract (2) : the client's equity in securities bought with the aid of credit obtained specifically (as from a broker) for that purpose d : a range about a specified figure within which a purchase is to be made

5

: measure or degree of difference <the bill passed by a one-vote margin>

— mar·gined \-jənd\ adjective

Examples of MARGIN

1. Please write your name in the left margin of the page.
2. a book with wide margins
3. Mountains lie at the city's northern margins.

Origin of MARGIN

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin margin-, margo border — more at mark

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to MARGIN

Synonyms: borderline, bound, boundary, brim, circumference, compass, confines, edge, edging, end, frame, fringe, hem, border, perimeter, periphery, rim, skirt, skirting, verge

Related Words: ambit; brink, crest, curb, cusp, lip; ceiling, maximum; demarcation, extent, limitation, measure, mere, restriction, termination; borderland, frontier, march, outskirts, pale, selvage; lap; shore

Near Antonyms: center, core, heart; inner, inside, interior, middle, within

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Other Printing Terms

epigraph, errata, leader, mechanical, notch, tittle, underscore, widow