near-marginal
|near-mar-gi-nal|
🇺🇸
/nɪr-ˈmɑrdʒənəl/
🇬🇧
/nɪə-ˈmɑːdʒɪnəl/
almost at the edge / nearly marginal
Etymology
'near-marginal' originates from Modern English, specifically the words 'near' and 'marginal', where 'near' meant 'close' and 'marginal' derives from Late Latin 'marginalis' (from Latin 'margo') meaning 'edge' or 'border'.
'near' comes from Old English 'neah' meaning 'near, nigh'; 'marginal' developed from Latin 'margo' (edge) to Late Latin 'marginalis', through Old French into Middle English and eventually modern English; the compound 'near-marginal' is a modern descriptive formation combining the two words.
Initially the components referred to physical proximity to an edge ('near' + 'edge'), but over time the compound came to be used figuratively to mean 'almost marginal' in evaluations and measurements.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
almost marginal; very close to being marginal (e.g., barely meeting or barely failing a standard or cutoff).
After the latest review, the proposal's budget is considered near-marginal and may require small changes to be approved.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 13:13