edge

English Online Dictionary. What means edge‎? What does edge mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English egge, from Old English eċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *aggju, from Proto-Germanic *agjō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”).

See also Dutch egge, German Ecke, Swedish egg, Norwegian egg; also Welsh hogi (“to sharpen, hone”), Latin aciēs (“sharp”), acus (“needle”), Latvian ašs, ass (“sharp”), Ancient Greek ἀκίς (akís, “needle”), ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point”), and Persian آس (âs, “grinding stone”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛd͡ʒ/
• Hyphenation: edge
• Rhymes: -ɛdʒ

Noun

edge (plural edges)

1. The boundary line of a surface.
2. (geometry) A one-dimensional face of a polytope. In particular, the joining line between two vertices of a polygon; the place where two faces of a polyhedron meet.
3. An advantage.
   • 2017 August 25, Euan McKirdy et al, "Arrest warrant to be issued for former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra", in edition.cnn.com, CNN:

     Thitinan said Yingluck's decision to skip the verdict hearing will have "emboldened" the military government. "They would not have wanted to put her in jail, in this scenario, (but her not showing up today) puts her on the back foot and gives them an edge."

4. (also figuratively) The thin cutting side of the blade of an instrument, such as an ax, knife, sword, or scythe; that which cuts as an edge does, or wounds deeply, etc.
   • 1833, Adam Clarke (editor), Revelations, II, 12, The New Testament, page 929:

     And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges:
5. A sharp terminating border; a margin; a brink; an extreme verge.
6. Sharpness; readiness or fitness to cut; keenness; intenseness of desire.
7. The border or part adjacent to the line of division; the beginning or early part (of a period of time)
   • 1670, John Milton, The History of Britain, The Prose Works of John Milton, published 1853, Volume V, page 203

     supposing that the new general, unacquainted with his army, and on the edge of winter, would not hastily oppose them.

8. (cricket) A shot where the ball comes off the edge of the bat, often unintentionally.
   • 2004 March 29, R. Bharat Rao Short report: Ind-Pak T1D2 Session 1 in rec.sports.cricket, Usenet

     Finally another edge for 4, this time dropped by the keeper

10. (graph theory) A connected pair of vertices in a graph.
11. A level of sexual arousal that is maintained just short of reaching the point of inevitability, or climax.
12. (computing, often attributive) The point of data production in an organization (the focus of edge computing), as opposed to the cloud.

Synonyms

• (advantage): advantage, gain
• (sharp terminating border): brink, boundary, lip, margin, rim
• (in graph theory): line

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

edge (third-person singular simple present edges, present participle edging, simple past and past participle edged)

1. (transitive) To move an object slowly and carefully in a particular direction.

2. (intransitive) To move slowly and carefully in a particular direction.
3. (usually in the form 'just edge') To win by a small margin.
4. (cricket, transitive) To hit the ball with an edge of the bat, causing a fine deflection.
5. (transitive) To trim the margin of a lawn where the grass meets the sidewalk, usually with an electric or gas-powered lawn edger.
6. (transitive) To furnish with an edge; to construct an edging.
   • 2005, Paige Gilchrist, The Big Book of Backyard Projects: Walls, Fences, Paths, Patios, Benches, Chairs & More, Section 2: Paths and Walkways, page 181,

     If you're edging with stone, brick, or another material in a lawn area, set the upper surfaces of the edging just at or not more than ½ inch above ground level so it won't be an obstacle to lawn mowers.

7. (transitive) To furnish with an edge, as a tool or weapon; to sharpen.
8. (transitive) To form a border to; to enclose, to border.
9. (figurative) To make sharp or keen; to incite; to exasperate; to goad; to urge or egg on.
10. (intransitive, transitive, slang) To intentionally stay or keep someone extremely close to the point of orgasm for a long period of time.

    Near-synonym: goon
11. (transitive, slang, figuratively) To agitate or exasperate (someone) due to constant delays of something.

Quotations

• 1925, Walter Anthony and Tom Reed (titles), Rupert Julian (director), The Phantom of the Opera, silent movie

  In Mlle. Carlotta’s correspondence there appeared another letter, edged in black!

Derived terms

(See above.)

Translations

Further reading

• edge on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Mathworld article on the edges of polygons
• Mathworld article on the edges of polyhedra

Anagrams

• geed