Forms: 1 ecg(g, 3–7 egge, (3 agge, hegge, 5–6 eg(e, 6–7 edg), 5– edge. [OE. ęcg str. fem. = OS. eggia (MDu. egghe, Du. egge) edge, corner, point, OHG. ekka edge, point (MHG. ecke edge, point, corner, mod.Ger. ecke fem., eck neut., corner), ON. egg edge:—OTeut. *agjâ, f. OAryan root *ak, whence many words of cognate sense, e.g., L. acies, Gr. ὰκίς point; cf. AIL sb., AWN, EAR sb.2 (The sense ‘corner,’ which has been developed in Ger. and Du., is wanting in Eng.)]
I. A cutting edge.
1. The thin sharpened side of the blade of a cutting instrument or weapon; opposed to the ‘back’ or blunt side; or to the ‘flat’ or broad surface of the blade. Often associated with point (OE. ord). The edge of the sword: used rhetorically for ‘the sword’ as the typical instrument of slaughter or of conquest.
Beowulf, 1549 (Gr.). Breost net … wið ord and wið ecge ingang forstod.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Luke xxi. 24. Hiʓ feallað on swurdes ecge [c. 1160 egge].
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 61. He wile smite … mid egge and cleuen … oðer mid orde and pilten.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, IV. 899. Beth rather to hym cause of flat than egge.
c. 1450. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 735. Hoc acumen, Hec acies, a neg.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., I. 20. Some kindes of salt … doe giue such temper to the edges of weapons.
1605. Shaks., Macb., IV. i. 150. I will … giue to th’ edge o’ th’ Sword his Wife.
1611. Bible, Gen. xxxiv. 26 They slew Hamor and Shechem his sonne, with the edge of the sword. Ibid., Hebr. xi. 34. [They] escaped the edge of the sword.
1648. Milton, Tenure Kings, Wks. 1738, I. 317. And what restraint the Sword comes to at length, having both edge and point, if any Sceptic will needs doubt, let him feel.
1797. Godwin, Enquirer, I. ii. 9. A tool with a fine edge may do mischief.
1828. Scott, F. M. Perth, II. 20. When it was steel coat to frieze mantle, the thieves knew … whether swords had edges or no.
1871. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), IV. xvii. 54. The King by the edge of the sword changed himself … into a king according to the laws of England.
¶ humorously misused.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., II. ii. 173. To be in perill of my life with the edge of a featherbed. Ibid. (1599), Hen. V., III. vi. 50. And let not Bardolphs vitall thred bee cut With edge of Penny-Cord.
b. poet. A cutting weapon or tool; in ME. also a lance.
Beowulf 2876 (Gr.). Þæt he hyne sylfne ʓewræc ana mid ecge.
c. 1205. Lay., 5605. He hauede monie Alemains; mid agge [1275 hegge] to-heowen.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 1271. He griputh in hond a spere … Thorughout the bruny creopeth the egge.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1104. Nauþer to cout ne to kerue, with knyf ne wyth egge.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Former Age, 19. No flessh ne wyste offence of egge or spere.
1607. Shaks., Cor., V. v. 113. Men and lads Stain all your edges on me.
1791. Cowper, Iliad, XXI. 25. On all sides Down came his edge.
c. The sharpness given to a blade by whetting.
c. 1430. Syr Gener. (Roxb.), 5147. His naked swerd in hond he bare, The egge was mich wered a-wey.
1517. Torkington, Pilgr. (1884), 21. Tooles made of Iron that never lese ther egge by myracle of Seynt Nicholas.
1850. Blackie, Æschylus, I. Pref. 10. It is for lack of skill in the workman, not from want of edge in the tool.
Mod. The knife has no edge. Put an edge on this knife.
2. fig. a. With direct reference to 1, 1 c. Power to ‘cut’ or wound; keen effectiveness. Of language: Trenchant force (cf. point). Of appetite, passion, desires, enjoyment, etc.: Keenness. Phrases (used also lit. in 1, 1 c), † To add an edge to; to put, set an edge upon; to dull, blunt the edge of, etc. Not to put too fine an edge upon it: to use ‘blunt,’ outspoken language.
a. 1591. H. Smith, Serm. (1866), II. 88. To add an edge unto our prayers.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., V. v. 35. Abate the edge of Traitors, Gracious Lord. Ibid. (1596), Tam. Shr., I. ii. 73. She moues me not, or not remoues, at least, Affections edge in me.
1603. Florio, Montaigne (1632), 503. Faults and contrary successes giue it [love] edge and grace.
1610. Shaks., Temp., IV. i. 29. To take away The edge of that dayes celebration.
1625. Donne, Serm. (1640), xx. 195. The Apostle there … changes the edge of his argument.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., III. xi. 179. But take not too much [hard and knotty studies] at once, lest thy brain turn edge.
1661. Bramhall, Just Vind., iv. 87. The edge and validity of it [ecclesiastical law] did proceed from authority royal.
1704. Col. Rec. Pennsylv., II. 142. Pleads reasons ye Edge of which … has wore off.
1775. Sheridan, Rivals, 1st Prol. No tricking here, to blunt the edge of law.
1830. T. Hamilton, Cyril Thornton (1845), 79. Exercise … had given more than its wonted edge to my appetite.
1846. Prescott, Ferd. & Is., II. vii. 416. Several circumstances operated to sharpen the edge of intolerance.
1870. Swinburne, Ess. & Stud. (1875), 286. The marble majesty of Calantha [in Ford’s ‘Broken Heart’] … gives force and edge to the lofty passion of the catastrophe.
1879. Lowell, Poet. Wks., 375. Yet knows to put an edge upon his speech.
Mod. He is, not to put too fine an edge upon it, a thoroughpaced scoundrel.
† b. Of persons: Ardor, keenness in pursuit of an object; in weaker sense, inclination, liking.
1581. Savile, Tacitus’ Hist., II. xlii. (1591), 78. The Othonians laying aside all edge to fight.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. Ccc 3. He must take heed he shew … some sparkles of liberty, spirit, and edge.
a. 1638. Mede, Ep. Hayn, xii. Wks. IV. (1672), 732. I … have little or no edge to contend with one I think perswaded.
1642. Rogers, Naaman, 183. I have so small hope to prevaile with men, because I goe against their edge. Ibid., 390. As for others, their edge is not so much toward them.
† c. To give an edge to, set an edge upon (a person): to stimulate, incite. Obs. (Cf. EDGE, EGG vbs.)
1602. Shaks., Ham., III. i. 27. Giue him a further edge.
1600. Holland, Livy, VI. xxviii. 237. The memoriall of that late … losse sustained might rather stirre them up and set an edge upon them.
1626. W. Sclater, Expos. 2 Thess. (1629), 274. What is wanting to give us an edge to the duty.
† 3. fig. Phrases (with direct reference to sense 1), Back and edge: adjoining, close by. Fall back, fall edge: ‘come what may,’ in any case. On edge (said of ears, heart, teeth; also, to set): full of eagerness, all agog, ready.
1580. T. M., Pref. Verses, in Baret, Alv., viii. Learned Athens did … set his teeth on edge, such floures to pull As best him likte, to store his skilfull brest.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. iv. 43. With harts on edg To be aveng’d each on his enimy.
1591. Lyly, Sapho, IV. iv. You will set mine eares on edge with sweet words.
1641–2. Hotham, in Rushw., Hist. Coll., III. (1721), I. 496. Fall back! fall edge! I will go doun.
1699. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v., Fall back fall edge, or come what will.
1748. Richardson, Clarissa (1811), VII. 135. The people who live back and edge.
4. To set (a person’s) teeth on edge: ‘to cause an unpleasant tingling in the teeth’ (J.). Also fig. Also (rarely) Out of edge, in same sense.
It is not quite clear what is the precise notion originally expressed in this phrase. The earlier expression was to edge the teeth (see EDGE v. 3); in the passage Ezek. xviii. 2 the Vulgate has obstupescere to be benumbed.
1382. Wyclif, Ezek. xviii. 2. And the teeth of sones wexen on egge.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. clxxxii. (1495), 723. A grene grape greueth the rotes and synewes of the teeth wyth colde soo that they make the teeth an egge.
1535. Coverdale, Jer. xxxi. 29. Ye fathers haue eaten a sower grape, and the childrens teth are set on edge.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, V. xx. 576. The same eaten rawe, are good against the teeth being set on edge.
1585. J. Higins, trans. Junius’ Nomenclator, 428. Dentium stupor, a bluntness of the teeth, when with eating of … sowre things they be out of edge.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., III. i. 133. That would set my teeth nothing an edge, Nothing so much as mincing Poetrie.
1741. Monro, Anat. (ed. 3), 162. How come they … to be set on Edge by Acids.
1839. Carlyle, Chartism, iv. (1858), 20. The strong have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the weak are set on edge.
† 5. As rendering of L. acies: a. Line of battle. b. Keenness of eyesight. Obs.
1535. Coverdale, 1 Sam. iv. 2. In the Edge in the felde they slewe aboute a foure thousande men.
1682. Sir T. Browne, Chr. Mor. (1716), 61. The wise Contriver hath drawn the pictures and outsides of things softly and amiably unto the natural Edge of our Eyes.
II. Things resembling a cutting edge.
* with regard to sharpness.
6. The crest of a sharply pointed ridge; (freq. in topographical names, as Swirrel Edge, Striding Edge). (More frequently, however, names of this kind denote escarpments terminating a plateau, and therefore are to be referred to sense 11; e.g., Millstone Edge, Bamford Edge; in Sc. edge usually denotes merely a ridge, watershed.)
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 451. Bot þe hyȝest of þe eggez vnhuled wern a lyttel.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VIII. viii. 55. The worthy peple Lydiane … remane apoune the edge of the Hetruscane hyllis.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., III. 371. At Sowtra ege thair merchis than tha maid.
b. A perilous path on a narrow ridge; fig. a sharp dividing line; a critical position or moment. [Sometimes with notion of 1; cf. ‘to walk on a razor’s edge,’ Gr. ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἀκμῆς.]
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. i. 170. You knew he walk’d … on an edge More likely to fall in, then to get o’re.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 276. That voyce … heard so oft … on the perilous edge Of battel when it rag’d.
1718. Pope, Iliad, X. 197. Each … Greek … Stands on the sharpest edge of death or life.
7. The line in which two surfaces of a solid object meet abruptly; spec. in Geometry, the line of meeting of two faces of a polyhedron.
1823. H. J. Brooke, Introd. Crystallogr., 149. Terminal solid angles replaced by two planes, resting on the obtuse edges of the pyramids.
1878. Gurney, Crystallogr., 30. The edges formed by the intersections of pairs of adjacent faces.
b. Skating. (To cut, do) the inside or outside edge: a particular form of fancy skating on the inner or outer edge of the skate-iron.
1772. Jones, Skating, 22. The inside edge is sometimes required in performing some of the more difficult manœuvres. Ibid., 37. [The Dutch] travel on the outside edge.
1806–7. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life (1826), III. i. Learning to cut the outside edge on skaits that have no edge to cut with.
1880. Vandervell & Witham, Figure-Skating (ed. 3), 137. The inside edge backwards. This may be taken up from the turn on both feet by continuing backwards; [etc.].
Mod. Can you do the outside edge?
** as contrasted with a broad surface.
8. Of a thin flat object: One of the narrow surfaces showing the ‘thickness’ or smallest dimension, as distinguished from the broad surfaces. On edge (formerly often written an edge): resting upon the edge, placed ‘edgewise.’ † To plow the soil up on an edge: to plow it into ridges.
1677. Moxon, Mech. Exerc. (1703), 72. The Board is set an edge with one end in the Bench-screw.
1708. Mortimer, Husb., 50. Harrow it as you plow it up, but then … you must speedily plow it up an edge again.
1784. De Lolme, Eng. Const., II. xvii. 427, note. Ran the edge of his hand, with great quickness, along his neck.
1878. Browning, La Saisiaz, 14. Fangs of crystal set on edge in his demesne.
Mod. A plate set up on edge. The shilling has a milled edge.
† b. fig. Phrase, To get by the edges: to get (information) indirectly or imperfectly. Obs.
1702. C. Mather, Magn. Chr., II. 45. They had got by the Edges a little Intimation of the then Prince of Orange’s undertaking.
c. spec. Of a book: One of the three surfaces left uncovered by the binding; called severally top, bottom, and fore edge.
Mod. The top edge of the book is gilt; the others are left white.
9. The rim (of a hollow vessel).
c. 1400. Beryn, 587. The egge of the panne met with his shyn.
1459. Inv., in Paston Lett., 335, I. 468. Vj bolles with oon coverede of silver, the egges gilt.
III. The boundary of a surface.
10. The line that forms the boundary of any surface; a border, verge. By extension, that portion of the surface of any object, or of a country, district, etc., adjacent to its boundary. (Cf. BORDER.)
c. 1391. Chaucer, Astrol., II. § 46. And sett þou þere þe degre of þe mone according wiþ þe egge of þe label.
c. 1460. J. Russell, Bk. Nurture, in Babees Bk. (1868), 129. Ley þe bouȝt on þe vttur egge of þe table.
1494. Fabyan, VI. cxcvi. 202. The abbey of Leof, besyde Hereforde, in the egge of Walys.
1535. Coverdale, Ezek. xl. 12. The edge before the chambres was one cubite brode.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., IV. i. 9. Hereby vpon the edge of yonder Coppice. Ibid. (1606), Ant. & Cl., II. ii. 117. From edge to edge A th’ world.
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort. (1729), 228. Many of their Leaves parch’d about their Edges.
1732. De Foe, Tour Gt. Brit. (1769), II. 181. Elestre, is a Village on the Roman Watling-street, on the very Edge of Middlesex.
1823. Lamb, Elia, Ser. II. vii. (1865), 280. All this time sat upon the edge of the deck quite a different character.
1833. N. Arnott, Physics, II. 210. The image will be more perfect … at its middle than towards its edges.
1836. Thirlwall, Greece, III. xxii. 238. He … drew up his men at the water’s edge.
1879. Harlan, Eyesight, ii. 21. The edges of the orbit are comparatively dense and strong.
b. fig. of portions of time, seasons, etc.
1638. Featly, Transubst., 229. Win the day in the edge of the evening.
1782. Johnson, Lett., 20 March, in Boswell. I made a journey to Staffordshire on the edge of winter.
1868. E. Waugh, Sneck-Bant, iv. 72, in Lanc. Gloss. (E. D. S.). We’s be back again abeawt th’ edge-o’-dark.
† c. That which is placed on the border of a garment, etc.; = EDGING. Obs.
1502. Priv. Purse Exp. Eliz. of York (1830), 68. Blake velvet for an edge and cuffes for the same gowne.
1552. Huloet, Edge of a fillet or roll … Tænia.
1611. Bible, Ex. xxvi. 10. And thou shalt make fiftie loopes on the edge of the curtaine.
† d. Archit. In first quot. rendering L. regula ‘the shank of a Doric triglyph’ (Lewis and Short). In second quot. app. = FILLET. Obs.
1563. Shute, Archit., C ij b. The edge which Vitruuius calleth Regula. Ibid., D j a. The lowest edge that standeth vppon Plinthus shalbe in height half a part.
11. The brink or verge (of a bank or precipice).
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 383. Er vch boþom watz brurd-ful to þe bonkez eggez.
1480. Caxton, Descr. Brit., 3. The edge of the frenssh clif shold be the ende of the world yf the ylonde of brytayn ne were not.
1827. Pollok, Course T., V. Toppling upon the perilous edge of Hell.
1865. Reader, 3 June, 619/3. In Derbyshire it nests in the rocks and ‘Edges,’ as the precipices are called.
b. fig. On the edge of: on the point of (doing something).
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., IV. v. 68. Will you, the Knights Shall to the edge of all extremitie Pursue each other?
1884. R. W. Church, Bacon, v. 114. He was now on the very edge of losing his office.
IV. 12. attrib. and Comb. a. locative, as edge-hummock, -mo(u)lding, -plate, -teeth, -way; edge-gilt adj. b. objective, as edge-cutting. c. adverbial, as edge-view. Also edge-coals, coals from an edge-seam; edge-joint (see quot.); † edgeleam, -lome [OE. lóma], an edge-tool; edge-mill, edge-rail, edge-roll (see quots.); edge-seam, a layer or seam of coal that has been tilted into a nearly vertical position; edge-shot a., edge-wheel (see quots.). Also EDGE-TOOL, -WAYS.
1854. H. Miller, Sch. & Schm., xiv. (1860), 153. *‘Edge-coals’—those steep seams of the Mid-Lothian Coal-basin.
1843. Carlyle, Past & Pr. (1858), 91. Thou for one wilt not again … do honour to any *edge-gilt vacuity in man’s shape.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxix. (1856), 241. *Edge-hummocks, that is to say, hummocks formed at the margin of floes and afterward cemented there.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Edge-joint (Carpentry), a joint formed by two edges, forming a corner.
1781. J. Hutton, Tour Caves (E. D. S.), *Edgeleams, sb. pl., edge tools.
1570. Levins, Manip., 161. An *Edgelome, culter.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Edge-mill, an ore-grinding or oil-mill in which the stones travel on their edges.
1762. Borlase, in Phil. Trans., LII. 509. All the *edge-mouldings of the canopy were tore to pieces.
1879. in Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 175/1. All along each bottom side of the body should be plated with iron…. The *edge-plate, as this is technically called.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Edge-rail (Railroad). a. One form of rail-road-rail, which bears the rolling stock on its edge. b. A rail placed by the side of the main rail at a switch to prevent the train from running off the track when the direction is changed. Ibid., *Edge-roll, A brass wheel used hot, in running an edge ornament, on a book cover.
1802. Playfair, Illustr. Hutton. The., 236. We obtain the same information from inspecting the *edge-seams.
1805. Forsyth, Beauties Scotl., I. 269. The strata … receive the appellation of edge seams, from their descending, or almost upright position in the earth.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., *Edge-shot, a board with its edge planed is said to be edge-shot.
1854. Woodward, Mollusca, II. 162. *Edge-teeth dentated.
1857. W. Binns, Orthographic Project., iii. (1862), 22. If the paper be now turned … we shall have an *edge-view … of the plane on which the lines are drawn.
1880. Mrs. Whitney, Odd or Even, x. 83. Trudging along on the opposite *edgeways of the soft brown, deep-rutted road.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., 774. *Edge-wheel, a wheel travelling on its edge in a circular or annular bed.
Edge, dial. var. of ADZE.
