margin means the edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc.
margin is pronounced /ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪn/.
Why “margin” is a great word
The edge or border of something, especially the blank border of a printed or written page, or to provide with such a border. From Middle English margyn, from Old French margin and directly from Latin marginem, accusative of margō ("edge, brink, border"). Unlike border, which implies a definitive, often territorial line, or periphery, which evokes the abstract outer limit of a sphere, a margin suggests a specific, functional fringe. It is the sanctuary of scribbled annotations, the calculated emptiness between text and catastrophe, and the quiet allowance in a schedule that lets a late train arrive without consequence—the humble ground against which a figure is defined, the modest zone of possibility that keeps the whole from collapsing into its own center.
Etymology
From Middle English margyn, from Latin marginem (possibly via Old French margin), accusative of margō (“edge, brink, border, margin”). Doublet of marge and margo.
noun
- The edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc.
- The edge or border of any flat surface.
- The edge defining inclusion in or exclusion from a set or group.e.g.“As far as space is concerned, Mary Lamb finds herself at the farthest margin of society - among tramps - when the novel begins.”
- A difference or ratio between results, characteristics, scores.e.g.“margin of victory”
- A permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits.e.g.“margin of error”
- The yield or profit; the selling price minus the cost of production.
- Collateral security deposited with a broker, to compensate the broker in the event of loss in the speculative buying and selling of stocks, commodities, etc.e.g.“The purchaser then hands over this margin to the person with whom he hypothecates the Stock.”
- That which is ancillary; periphery.e.g.“This model merely nips at the margins.”
- The shape of the edge of a leaf.e.g.“Red Whortleberry leaves have a crenate margin.”
verb
- To add a margin to.
- To enter (notes etc.) into the margin.
- To trade (securities etc.) on margin (collateral).e.g.“This sounds easy, but bear in mind that margined portfolios decline faster than cash portfolios in a bear market.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- marginalia 85% match — Notes in the margin of a document. vs margin →
- finis 82% match — Of a book or other work: the end. vs margin →
- footnote 82% match — A short piece of text, often numbered, placed at the bottom of a printed page, that adds a comment, citation, reference etc, to a designated part of the main text. vs margin →
- intimation 81% match — The act of intimating. vs margin →
- implication 81% match — The act of implicating. vs margin →
- interlineation 81% match — A notation made between the lines, especially in a handwritten document; interlining. vs margin →
- imprint 81% match — An impression; the mark left behind by printing something or by pressing on something, or the figurative counterpart of such a mark. vs margin →
- tacit 81% match — Implied, but not made explicit, especially through silence. vs margin →