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 matter2: 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 made5: measure or degree of difference <the bill passed by a one-vote margin>

— mar·gined \-jənd\ adjective