LEADING EDGE

noun and adjective Usually written leading-edge when used as an adjective (Lifestyle and Leisure) (Science and Technology) noun: The forefront of progress or development, especially in technology; the 'state of the art'. adjective: Representing the most advanced technology; state-of-the-art. Etymology: A figurative application of a term that originally belonged (as a noun) to aerodynamics and aeronautics, where it was used of the forward edge of a moving object such as an aircraft's wing; the imagery here is of technology as a body moving constantly forwards, but with some aspects and designs further advanced than others and acting as a vanguard for future developments. History and Usage: The figurative use arose in the world of computer technology in the second half of the seventies, and during the eighties was enthusiastically taken up by advertisers as a fashionable way of claiming their products to be in the forefront of design. In the UK the term leading edge was even chosen as the name for a chain of shops selling technological gadgetry and new design 'concepts'. An alternative term for the same idea, also popular with advertisers, is cutting edge. Three choices from the Burton Group's spring ranges. Sophisticated style from Principles...Leading-edge young fashion from Top Shop...Mainstream young fashion from Dorothy Perkins. Daily Telegraph 26 Feb. 1986, p. 13 The information systems available in the dealing room are quite astonishing for someone whose idea of leading-edge technology is teletext. Meridian (Midland Group) Spring 1990, p. 15 The company also puts out Gorgon, on horror movies, and Impact, on cutting-edge pop culture. Premiere May 1990, p. 96