submarginal
|sub-mar-gi-nal|
🇺🇸
/səbˈmɑrdʒɪnəl/
🇬🇧
/sʌbˈmɑːdʒɪn(ə)l/
under the edge / below a threshold
Etymology
'submarginal' is formed in English from the Latin prefix 'sub-' meaning 'under' and 'marginal', which comes from 'margin' (via Old French 'marge' from Late Latin 'margo') where 'margin' meant 'edge' or 'border'.
'margin' entered English via Old French 'marge' from Late Latin 'margo' (or 'margin-'); the prefix 'sub-' (Latin) was combined with English 'marginal' to produce 'submarginal' in modern English usage.
Originally a literal sense of 'under the margin' ('beneath the edge'), the term extended to figurative senses such as 'below an acceptable or profitable threshold' and specialized uses in ecology and economics.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
situated below or beneath a margin or edge; lying under the border or rim.
A narrow, submarginal ledge ran along the base of the cliff.
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Adjective 2
below the minimum acceptable or profitable level; insufficiently productive or economically unviable (e.g., land, enterprises, or workers that do not reach marginal profitability).
Many farms on submarginal soil were abandoned after the bad harvests.
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Adjective 3
in ecology or biogeography: occurring at or beyond the edge of a species' normal range or habitat, supporting only sparse or precarious populations.
Submarginal populations of the plant survive only in scattered microhabitats at the range edge.
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Last updated: 2026/01/05 13:04