Main Entry: ¹mar·gin

Pronunciation: \ˈmär-jən\

Function: noun

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

Date: 14th century

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