brink

Noun
Synonyms: thresholdverge

WordNet 3.0

Noun (3)

  1. a region marking a boundarySynonyms: thresholdverge
  2. the edge of a steep place
  3. the limit beyond which something happens or changes“on the verge of tears”“on the brink of bankruptcy”Synonyms: verge
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Brink \Brink\ (br[i^][ng]k), n. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.] The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. "The brink of vice." --Bp. Porteus. "The brink of ruin." --Burke. [1913 Webster]

The plashy brink of weedy lake. --Bryant. [1913 Webster] brinkmanship

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