margin

US /ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/ UK /ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #12055

Meanings

1

noun
The empty space around the edge of a page.

She wrote a few notes in the margin of her book.
2

noun
The amount by which one result is greater than another.

Their team won the match by a wide margin.
3

noun
A small extra amount allowed for safety or possible error.

Always leave a margin of error when you estimate costs.
4

noun
The edge or border of something.

Plants grew thickly along the margins of the lake.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms margins

Derived forms admarginateintermarginmargin-callmarginablemarginirostralmarginlessmarginotomyovermarginpalaeomarginpaleomarginremarginretromargin

Related forms admarginate marginal marginaliamarginalizationmarginalize

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

gross margin
gross profit expressed as a proportion of net sales

Adjective + noun

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.

margyn Middle English marginem Latin margin Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Economics & Markets

External links

# margin

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmɑː.d͡ʒɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 12055

## Meanings
1. The empty space around the edge of a page.
2. The amount by which one result is greater than another.
3. A small extra amount allowed for safety or possible error.
4. The edge or border of something.

## Examples
- She wrote a few notes in the margin of her book.
- Their team won the match by a wide margin.
- Always leave a margin of error when you estimate costs.
- Plants grew thickly along the margins of the lake.

## Derived Forms
- admarginate
- intermargin
- margin-call
- marginable
- marginirostral
- marginless
- marginotomy
- overmargin
- palaeomargin
- paleomargin
- remargin
- retromargin

## Related Forms
- admarginate
- marginal
- marginalia
- marginalization
- marginalize

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: margyn
- Root: marginem
- Root: margin

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Margin comes from Middle English margyn, from Latin marginem (possibly via Old French margin), accusative of margō (“edge, brink, border, margin”). Doublet of marge and margo. In present-day English its meanings include the empty space around the edge of a page, the amount by which one result is greater than another, and a small extra amount allowed for safety or possible error. The historical chain runs through margyn (Middle English), marginem (Latin), and margin (Old French). Related and derived forms include admarginate, marginal, marginalia, and intermargin.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Economics & Markets

markdown