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Webster 1913 Edition

Edge

Edge

(ĕj)
,
Noun.
[OE.
eg
,
egge
, AS.
ecg
; akin to OHG.
ekka
, G.
ecke
, Icel. & Sw.
egg
, Dan.
eg
, and to L.
acies
, Gr.
ἀκή
point, Skr.
açri
edge. √1. Cf.
Egg
,
Verb.
T.
,
Eager
,
Ear
spike of corn,
Acute
.]
1.
The thin cutting side of the blade of an instrument;
as, the
edge
of an ax, knife, sword, or scythe
.
Hence,
(figuratively)
,
That which cuts as an edge does, or wounds deeply, etc.
He which hath the sharp sword with two
edges
.
Rev. ii. 12.
Slander,
Whose
edge
is sharper than the sword.
Shakespeare
2.
Any sharp terminating border; a margin; a brink; extreme verge;
as, the
edge
of a table, a precipice
.
Upon the
edge
of yonder coppice.
Shakespeare
In worst extremes, and on the perilous
edge

Of battle.
Milton.
Pursue even to the very
edge
of destruction.
Sir W. Scott.
3.
Sharpness; readiness or fitness to cut; keenness; intenseness of desire.
The full
edge
of our indignation.
Sir W. Scott.
Death and persecution lose all the ill that they can have, if we do not set an
edge
upon them by our fears and by our vices.
Jer. Taylor.
4.
The border or part adjacent to the line of division; the beginning or early part;
as, in the
edge
of evening
.
“On the edge of winter.”
Milton.

Edge

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Edged
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Edging
.]
1.
To furnish with an edge as a tool or weapon; to sharpen.
To
edge
her champion’s sword.
Dryden.
2.
To shape or dress the edge of, as with a tool.
3.
To furnish with a fringe or border;
as, to
edge
a dress; to
edge
a garden with box.
Hills whose tops were
edged
with groves.
Pope.
4.
To make sharp or keen, figuratively; to incite; to exasperate; to goad; to urge or egg on.
[Obs.]
By such reasonings, the simple were blinded, and the malicious
edged
.
Hayward.
5.
To move by little and little or cautiously, as by pressing forward edgewise;
as,
edging
their chairs forwards
.
Locke.

Edge

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To move sideways; to move gradually;
as,
edge
along this way
.
2.
To sail close to the wind.
I must
edge
up on a point of wind.
Dryden.
To edge away
or
To edge off
(Naut.)
,
to increase the distance gradually from the shore, vessel, or other object.
–
To edge down
(Naut.)
,
to approach by slow degrees, as when a sailing vessel approaches an object in an oblique direction from the windward.
–
To edge in
,
to get in edgewise; to get in by degrees.
–
To edge in with
,
as with a coast or vessel
(Naut.)
, to advance gradually, but not directly, toward it.

Webster 1828 Edition

Edge

EDGE

,
Noun.
[L. acies, acus.]
1.
In a general sense, the extreme border or point of any thing; as the edge of the table; the edge of a book; the edge of cloth. It coincides nearly with border, brink, margin. It is particularly applied to the sharp border, the thin cutting extremity of an instrument, as the edge of an ax, razor, knife or scythe; also, to the point of an instrument, as the edge of a sword.
2.
Figuratively, that which cuts or penetrates; that which wounds or injures; as the edge of slander.
3.
A narrow part rising from a broader.
Some harrow their ground over, and then plow it upon an edge.
4.
Sharpness of mind or appetite; keenness; intenseness of desire; fitness for action or operation; as the edge of appetite or hunger.
Silence and solitude set an edge on the genius.
5.
Keenness; sharpness; acrimony.
Abate the edge of traitors.
To set the teeth on edge, to cause a tingling or grating sensation in the teeth.

EDGE

, v.t.
1.
To sharpen.
To edge her champion's sword.
2.
To furnish with an edge.
A sword edged with flint.
3.
To border; to fringe.
A long descending train,
With rubies edged.
4.
To border; to furnish with an ornamental border; as, to edge a flower-bed with box.
5.
To sharpen; to exasperate; to embitter.
By such reasonings,the simple were blinded, and the malicious edged.
6.
To incite; to provoke; to urge on; to instigate; that is, to push on as with a sharp point; to goad. Ardor or passion will edge a man forward,when arguments fail.
7.
To move sideways; to move by little and little; as, edge your chair along.

EDGE

,
Verb.
I.
To move sideways; to move gradually. Edge along this way.
1.
To sail close to the wind.
To edge away, in sailing, is to decline gradually from the shore or from the line of the course.
To edge in with, to draw near to, as a ship in chasing.

Definition 2024

edge

edge

See also: EDGE

English

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.
    I have the edge on him.‎
    • 2013 December, Paul Voss, “Small Drones Deserve Sensible Regulation”, in IEEE Spectrum:
      It’s no secret that the United States may be losing its edge in civilian aviation. Nowhere is this more apparent than with small unmanned aircraft, those tiny flying robots that promise to transform agriculture, forestry, pipeline monitoring, filmmaking, and more.
  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.
    • c. 1611, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Act 3, Scene 4, 1818, The Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare, Volume 6, C. Whittingham, London, page 49:
      No, 'tis slander; / Whose edge is sharper than the sword;
    • 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.
    The cup is right on the edge of the table.‎
    He is standing on the edge of a precipice.‎
    • 1598, William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost, Act 4, Scene 1, 1830, George Steevens (editor), The Dramatic Works of William Shakspeare, Volume 1, page 166:
      Here by, upon the edge of yonder coppice; / A stand, where you may make the fairest shoot.
    • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost, 1824, Edwartd Hawkins (editor), The Poetical Works of John Milton, Volume 1, page 32:
      In worst extremes, and on the perilous edge / Of battle when it rag'd, in all assaults
    • 1820, Sir W. Scott, Ivanhoe, 1833, The Complete Works of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 3, page 9:
      […] they never wanted the pretext, and seldom the will, to harass and pursue, even to the very edge of destruction, any of their less powerful neighbours […] .
  6. Sharpness; readiness or fitness to cut; keenness; intenseness of desire.
    • a. 1667, Jeremy Taylor, Sermon X: The Faith and Patience of the Saints, Part 2, The Whole Sermons of Jeremy Taylor, 1841, page 69:
      Death and persecution lose all the ill that they can have, if we do not set an edge upon them by our fears and by our vices.
    • 1820, Sir W. Scott, Ivanhoe, 1827, page 175:
      […] we are to turn the full edge of our indignation upon the accursed instrument, which had so well nigh occasioned his utter falling away.
  7. The border or part adjacent to the line of division; the beginning or early part; as, in the edge of evening.
    • 1853 (1670), John Milton, Charles R. Sumner (translator), The History of Britain, The Prose Works of John Milton, 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
  9. (graph theory) A connected pair of vertices in a graph.
  10. In male masturbation, a level of sexual arousal that is maintained just short of reaching the point of inevitability, or climax; see also edging.

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

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.
    He edged the book across the table.
  2. (intransitive) To move slowly and carefully in a particular direction.
    He edged away from her.
    • 2011 April 11, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 3 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
      Carroll has been edging slowly towards full fitness after his expensive arrival from Newcastle United and his partnership with £23m Luis Suarez showed rich promise as Liverpool controlled affairs from start to finish.
  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. To furnish with an edge, as a tool or weapon; to sharpen.
    • Dryden
      to edge her champion's sword
  8. (figuratively) To make sharp or keen; to incite; to exasperate; to goad; to urge or egg on.
    • Hayward
      By such reasonings, the simple were blinded, and the malicious edged.
  9. (intransitive) To delay one's orgasm so as to remain almost at the point of orgasm.
    • 2011, Nicholson Baker, House of Holes, page 181
      “I think of it as mine, but, yes, it's his cock I've been edging with. Do you edge?”
    • 2012, Ryan Field, Lasting Lust: An Anthology of Kinky Couples in Love, page 33
      Paul had been edging since the first young guy started to ****, and he wanted Paul to come inside his body that night.
    • 2012, Ryan Field, Field of Dreams: The Very Best Stories of Ryan Field, page 44
      His mouth was open and he was still jerking his dick. Justin knew he must have been edging by then.

Translations

Derived terms

  • re-edge / reedge

Related terms

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!

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English egge, from Old English ecg, from Proto-Germanic *agjō (compare Dutch egge, German Ecke, Swedish egg), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‎(“sharp”) (compare 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 ‎(ās, “grinding stone”)).

Pronunciation

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

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