Proto-Indo-European root meaning "boundary, border."

It forms all or part of: Cymric; demarcation; Denmark; emarginate; landmark; march (v.) "walk with regular tread;" march (n.2) "boundary;" marchioness; margin; margrave; mark (n.1) "trace, impression;" mark (n.2) "unit of money or weight;" marque; marquee; marquetry; marquis; remark; remarkable.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Latin margo "margin;" Avestan mareza- "border;" Old Irish mruig, Irish bruig "borderland," Welsh bro "district;" Old English mearc "boundary, sign, limit, mark," Gothic marka "boundary, frontier."

"edge, border," 1550s, now chiefly poetic, shortening of margin (n.), or from French marge.

1570s, "written or printed on the margin of a page," from Medieval Latin marginalis, from Latin margo "edge, brink, border, margin" (see margin (n.)). Sense of "of little effect or importance" first recorded 1887. Related: Marginally.

"marginal notes," 1832, from Latin marginalia, neuter plural of adjective marginalis "marginal," from marginis (see margin (n.)).