Edge Definition
ĕj
edged, edges, edging
noun
edges
The thin, sharp, cutting part of a blade.
Webster's New World
The degree of sharpness of a cutting blade.
American Heritage
The quality of being sharp or keen.
Webster's New World
The projecting ledge or brink, as of a cliff.
Webster's New World
An intense, harsh, or irritable quality.
His voice had a distinct edge.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
verb
edged, edges, edging
To move sideways.
Webster's New World
To give an edge to (a blade); sharpen.
American Heritage
To form or put an edge on; provide an edge for.
Webster's New World
To make (one's way) sideways, as through a crowd.
Webster's New World
To move gradually or cautiously.
To edge away from danger.
Webster's New World
idiom
on edge
- Highly tense or nervous; irritable.
American Heritage
on the edge
- In a precarious position.
- In a state of keen excitement, as from danger or risk:
American Heritage
on edge
- so tense or nervous as to be easily upset; irritable
- eager; impatient
Webster's New World
set someone's teeth on edge
- to give a sensation of tingling discomfort, as the sound of a fingernail scraped on a slate does
- to irritate; provoke
Webster's New World
take the edge off
- to dull the intensity, force, or pleasure of
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Edge
- on edge
- on the edge
- on edge
- set someone's teeth on edge
- take the edge off
Origin of Edge
-
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 (akis, “needle”), ἀκμή (akmē, “point”), and Persian آس (ās, “grinding stone”)).
From Wiktionary
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Middle English egge from Old English ecg ak- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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