marginal

PronunciationEdit

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː(ɹ)ˌdʒɪn.əl/

AdjectiveEdit

marginal (not generally comparable, comparative more marginal, superlative most marginal)

1. (not comparable) Of, relating to, or located at or near a margin or edge; also figurative usages of location and margin (edge).

   The marginal area at the edge of the salt-marsh has its own plants.

   In recent years there has been an increase in violence against marginal groups.

   1. Written in the margin of a book.

      There were more marginal notes than text.

      • 1999, R. I. Page, Introduction to English Runes, Boydell Press, page 198:

        The early pages had marginal notes most of which were lost when rats nibbled away the manuscript edges.

   2. (geography) Sharing a border; geographically adjacent.

      Monmouthshire is a Welsh county marginal to England.

2. (comparable) Determined by a small margin; having a salient characteristic determined by a small margin.
   1. Of a value, or having a characteristic that is of a value, that is close to being unacceptable or leading to exclusion from a group or category.

      His writing ability was marginal at best.

      Having reviewed the test, there are two students below the required standard and three more who are marginal.

   2. (of land) Barely productive.

      He farmed his marginal land with difficulty.

   3. (politics, chiefly UK, Australia, New Zealand, of a constituency) Subject to a change in sitting member with only a small change in voting behaviour, this usually being inferred from the small winning margin of the previous election.

      In Bristol West, Labour had a majority of only 1,000, so the seat is considered highly marginal this time around.

      • 2002, Andrew Geddes, Jonathan Tonge, Labour′s Second Landslide: The British General Election 2001, page 79,

        In ‘battleground’ seats with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrat vote shares increased most in the most marginal seats.

      • 2007, Robert Waller, Byron Criddle, The Almanac of British Politics, page 58,

        In Outer London, Harrow East is now a more marginal Labour hold than Harrow West.

      • 2010, Nick Economou, Zareh Ghazarian, Australian Politics For Dummies, unnumbered page,

        The pendulum lists the seats from least marginal to most marginal for the government on one side, and least marginal to most marginal for the opposition on the other side.

3. (economics, not comparable) Pertaining to changes resulting from a unit increase in production or consumption of a good.

Derived termsEdit

• comarginal
• marginal cost
• marginal utility
• postmarginal
• submarginal

Related termsEdit

• margin

TranslationsEdit

NounEdit

marginal (plural marginals)

1. Something that is marginal.
2. A constituency won with a small margin.

TranslationsEdit

AnagramsEdit

• alarming

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /maʁ.ʒi.nal/
• Homophones: marginale, marginales

AdjectiveEdit

marginal m (feminine marginale, masculine plural marginaux, feminine plural marginales)

1. Written in the margin of a book; marginal
2. Of, relating to, or located at a margin or an edge; marginal
3. Outside the mainstream; fringe, fringy
4. Of lesser importance; secondary

NounEdit

marginal m (plural marginaux)

1. A man that chose to live on the fringes of society; dropout, misfit

AdjectiveEdit

marginal (not comparable)

1. marginal

DeclensionEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Medieval Latin marginālis.

PronunciationEdit

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɐɾ.ʒi.ˈnaɫ/
• Hyphenation: mar‧gi‧nal

AdjectiveEdit

marginal m, f (plural marginais; comparable)

1. marginal

AdjectiveEdit

marginal m, f (plural marginales)

1. marginal

NounEdit

marginal c

1. a margin

DeclensionEdit

Related termsEdit

• marginalisera
• marginell