margin

n.

1. An edge and the area immediately adjacent to it; a border. See synonyms at border.
2. The blank space bordering the written or printed area on a page.
3. A limit in a condition or process, beyond or below which something is no longer possible or acceptable: the margin of reality; has crossed the margin of civilized behavior.
4. An amount allowed beyond what is needed: a small margin of safety. See synonyms at room.
5. A measure, quantity, or degree of difference: a margin of 500 votes.
6. Economics.
   1. The minimum return that an enterprise may earn and still pay for itself.
   2. The difference between the cost and the selling price of securities or commodities.
   3. The difference between the market value of collateral and the face value of a loan.
7. An amount in money, or represented by securities, deposited by a customer with a broker as a provision against loss on transactions made on account.
8. Botany. The border of a leaf.

tr.v., -gined, -gin·ing, -gins.

1. To provide with a margin.
2. To be a margin to; border.
3. To inscribe or enter in the margin of a page.
4. Economics.
   1. To add margin to: margin up a brokerage account.
   2. To deposit margin for: margin a transaction.
   3. To buy or hold (securities) by depositing or adding to a margin.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin margō, margin-.]

margined mar'gined adj.

1. Borrowed money that is used to purchase securities. This practice is referred to as "buying on margin".

2. The amount of equity contributed by a customer as a percentage of the current market value of the securities held in a margin account.

3. In a general business context, the difference between a product's (or service's) selling price and the cost of production.

4. The portion of the interest rate on an adjustable-rate mortgage that is over and above the adjustment-index rate. This portion is retained as profit by the lender.

Investopedia Says:
1. Buying with borrowed money can be extremely risky because both gains and losses are amplified. That is, while the potential for greater profit exists, this comes at a hefty price - the potential for greater losses. Margin also subjects the investor to a number of unique risks such as interest payments for use of the borrowed money.

2. For example, if you hold futures contracts in a margin account, you have to maintain a certain amount of margin depending on how the market value of the contracts change.

3. Gross profit margin (which is the difference between revenue and expenses) is one measure of a company's performance.

4. The formula for calculating the interest rate on an adjustable-rate mortgage is the adjustment-index rate (e.g. Treasury Index) plus the percentage of the margin. For example, if the Treasury Index is 6% and the interest rate on the mortgage is 8%, the margin is 2%.

Related Links:
Find out what margin is, how margin calls work, the advantages of leverage and why using margin can be risky. Margin Trading
Find the investing "sweet spot" by combining these two styles. Where Top Down Meets Bottoms Up
Take a deeper look at a company's profitability with the help of profit-margin ratios. The Bottom Line On Margins
Risk-management tool SPAN margin boosts profitability prospects by helping to determine when to exit a trade. How Does Your Margin Grow?
Both of these have advantages and disadvantages depending on your financial needs and prospects. Mortgages: Fixed-Rate Versus Adjustable-Rate
Learn how to generate higher returns while keeping the same risk profile. Adding Alpha Without Adding Risk
Find out how this tool magnifies both gains and losses. Forex Leverage: A Double-Edged Sword
Learn how the largest and fastest growing market can work for you. The Forex Market
We provide some classic and lesser-known titles to add to your collection. Investing Books It Pays To Read

Marketing: see gross profit; markup.

Printing: space on a page between the copy and the edge of the page. The four margins are called, clockwise from the top, head margin, front margin, foot margin, and inside or back margin. bleeds are produced by printing into the margin up to or slightly beyond the point at which the paper sheet will be trimmed to page size. The gutter is the area between the margins of two pages on an untrimmed sheet.

Banking:

1. Net Interest Margin (NIM), or the percentage difference between a bank's yield on earning assets (mostly loans) and interest paid to depositors.

2. Proportion of the asset pledged as security, for example, inventory or accounts receivable, that a bank will lend against. The difference between the market value and loan value is also called a Haircut. If the collateral declines in value, additional margin will be required.

3. Premium a mortgage lender adds to an Index rate in determining the loan interest rate in an Adjustable Rate Mortgage. This premium is typically two to three percentage points.

Futures: money or securities put up as a good faith deposit assuring that a future contract will be fulfilled. Also known as a security deposit, as in the initial margin and Maintenance Margin required when a futures position is open.

Securities: money deposited with a broker that serves as partial payment when purchasing securities. The Federal Reserve Board's Regulation T sets a Maintenance Margin, currently 50%, in purchases or short sales of securities. Margins may be put up in cash or eligible securities. Individual broker-dealers may impose higher margins in trades of Over-The-Counter securities.

A constant amount added to the value of the Index for the purpose of adjusting the interest rate on an Adjustable Rate Mortgage.
Example: An adjustable rate mortgage is indexed to the 1 year Treasury yield and has a margin of 3 percentage points. If the index is currently 6%, the fully indexed rate on the loan is 9% (6% index plus 3% margin).

noun

1. A fairly narrow line or space forming a boundary: border, borderline, brim, brink, edge, edging, fringe, periphery, rim, verge. Chiefly Military perimeter. See edge/center.
2. Suitable opportunity to accept or allow something: elbowroom, latitude, leeway, play, room, scope. See place, restraint/unrestraint.

verb

To put or form a border on: border, bound², edge, fringe, rim, skirt, verge. See edge/center.

n

Definition: border; room around something
Antonyms: center, core, inside, interior

---

n

1. the extreme edge of something. n 2. the boundary of a surface. n 3. in a cavity preparation for a restoration, the margin is the outside limit of the surgical preparation. See also cavosurface angle.

For more information on margin, visit Britannica.com.

1. The exposed flat surface of the stiles and rails which form the framing around a panel.
2. The projecting surface above the stair nosings in a close string. 3. The mitered border around a hearth.
4. The exposed surface of a slate or tile which is not covered by the one above.

---

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The edge or border; the edge of a body of water where it meets the land. As applied to a boundary line of land, the margin of a river, creek, or other watercourse means the center of the stream. But in the case of a lake, bay, or natural pond, the margin means the line where land and water meet.

In finance, the difference between market value of loan collateral and face value of loan.

A sum of money, or its equivalent, placed in the hands of a broker by the principal or person on whose account a purchase or sale of securities is to be made, as a security to the former against losses to which he or she may be exposed by subsequent fluctuations in the market value of the stock. The amount paid by the customer when he uses a broker's credit to buy a security.

In commercial transactions the difference between the purchase price paid by an intermediary or retailer and the selling price, or difference between price received by manufacturer for its goods and costs to produce. Also called gross profit margin.

Border, margin or edge.

• antitragal m. — caudal edge of the ear.
• central m. — the inner margin of the sole of the horse's hoof, occupied by the bars and the apex of the frog.
• coronal m. — proximal border of the hoof where the horn meets the skin.
• epididymal m. — the attached border of the testis where the epididymis is attached.
• free m. (margo liber) — the unattached border of the testis.
• interalveolar m. — the ridge along the alveolar process of the maxillae and mandibles between the teeth.
• mesometric m. — the border of the uterus to which the broad ligament is attached.
• parietal m. — outer margin of the sole of the hoof, connected to the wall of the hoof by the white line.
• plicated m. — the raised cuticular ridge that separates the esophageal part of the stomach in the horse from the glandular part.
• pupillary m. — the free edge of the iris, the edge of the pupil.
• safety m. — 1. the ratio between the lethal dose for 1% of the population and the effective dose for 99% of the population. Used to describe the toxicity of a pharmaceutical agent.
— 2. estimate of the ratio of the ‘no-observed-effect’ level (NOEL) to the level accepted in regulations relating to epidemiology and disease control. Called also margin of safety.
• tragal m. (margo tragicus) — anteromedial edge of the ear.

(DOD, NATO) In cartography, the area of a map or chart lying outside the border.

The border of a leaf.

IN BRIEF: The part of a page outside of the area used for writing. Also: An extra amount.

A broad margin of leisure is as beautiful in a man's life as in a book. — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - margen, kant, rand
v. tr. - forsyne med margen

Nederlands (Dutch)
marge, kantlijn, rand, grens, verschil, speling, speelruimte, winst, dekking (financieel), van een kantlijn/rand voorzien, van kantekeningen voorzien, grenzen, dekken (financieel)

Français (French)
n. - marge, lisière, bord (rivière), marge (de), (fig) marge, en marge de, marge (pour), (Comm) marge
v. tr. - annoter en marge, (Fin) déposer

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rand, Spielraum
v. - mit einem Rand versehen, an den Rand schreiben

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - περιθώριο, ακμή, παρυφή, (οικον.) όριο
v. - αφήνω περιθώριο

Italiano (Italian)
margine, spazio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - margem (f), extremidade (f), margem de lucro (f)
v. - marginar

Русский (Russian)
поле страницы, край, запас, прибыль, маржа, делать заметки на полях, окаймлять, оставлять запас, вносить гарантийную сумму биржевому маклеру

Español (Spanish)
n. - margen, linde, límite, espacio libre, tolerancia, reserva, provisión, cobertura
v. tr. - trazar un margen

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - marginal, strandkant, spelrum, utkant
v. - förse med marginal, anteckna i marginalen

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
页边的空白, 极限, 边缘, 加边于, 加旁注于

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 頁邊的空白, 極限, 邊緣
v. tr. - 加邊於, 加旁注於

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 테두리, 여백, 한계, 여유, 차이 나는 부분, 이문
v. tr. - ~의 테두리를 만들다, 증거금을 내다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 余白, 縁, へり, 岸, 限界, 余裕, 余地, 利ざや, 証拠金

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) هامش, حاشيه, حافه (فعل) يهمش‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שוליים, שפה, קצה, רווח, מרווח-זמן, עודף, מצב גבולי, תחום‬
v. tr. - ‮עשה שוליים, כתב הערות שוליים‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.