[mar.gin.al] adj [ML marginalis, fr. L margin-, margo] (1573) 1: written or printed in the margin of a page or sheet "~ notes"
2. a: of, relating to, or situated at a margin or border b: not of central importance "regards violence as a ~ rather than a central problem" c (1): occupying the borderland of a relatively stable territorial or cultural area "~ tribes" (2): characterized by the incorporation of habits and values from two divergent cultures and by incomplete assimilation in either "the ~ cultural habits of new immigrant groups" (3): excluded from or existing outside the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought "~ voters"
3: located at the fringe of consciousness "~ sensations"
4. a: close to the lower limit of qualification, acceptability, or function: barely exceeding the minimum requirements "a semiliterate person of ~ 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 "~ land" (2): of, relating to, or derived from goods produced and marketed with such result "~ profits"
5: 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 ~ probability function" -- mar.gin.al.i.ty n -- mar.gin.al.ly adv