| 释义 |
mar·gin·al
I. \ˈmärjə̇nəl, ˈmȧj-\ adjective
Etymology: Medieval Latin marginalis, from Latin margin-, margo border + -alis -al — more at mark
1.
a. : written or printed in the margin of a page or sheet
< marginal notes >
b. : having notes written or printed in the margin
< a marginal manuscript >
2.
a. : of, relating to, or constituting a margin
< the marginal parts of an insect's wing >
b.
(1) : situated at, on, or near a margin
< outlying marginal territorial possessions >
specifically : occupying the borderland of a relatively stable territorial or cultural area
< marginal groups of aborigines >
(2) : characterized by the incorporation of habits and values from two divergent cultures and by incomplete assimilation in either
< the marginal cultural habits of new immigrant groups >
c.
(1) : running round a leaf parallel and near to the margin
< marginal leaf venation >
(2) of a monocarpellary ovary : parietal
3. : located at the fringe of consciousness
< marginal sensations >
4.
a. : close to the lower limit of qualification or acceptability
< possesses only marginal ability >
b.
(1) : having a character or capacity fitted to yield a supply of goods which when marketed at existing price levels will barely cover the cost of production
< marginal land >
< marginal production >
< marginal producers >
(2) : of, relating to, or concerned with a limit or margin of return or reward as measured by existing price levels that is barely sufficient to yield a profit or cover the costs of production
< marginal profits >
< marginal sales >
II. noun
(-s)
: something that is marginal: as
a.
(1) : a note written or printed in a margin
(2) : a decorative border of a page or sheet
b. : a body part (as one of the plates around the edge of the carapace of a turtle, an outer tooth in the radula of a mollusk) that is marginal in relation to another part
III. adjective
1. : excluded from or existing outside of the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought
2. : relating to or being a function of a random variable that is obtained from a function of several random variables by integrating or summing over all possible values of the other variables
< a marginal probability function >
• marginality noun |