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DictionaryRoot: -alis
Latin

-alis

of, relating to

Forms

  • -alis
  • -aris — Latin variant especially used when the stem already contained l, avoiding a repeated l sound.
  • -al — English ending borrowed through French or directly from Latin.
  • -ar — English ending continuing Latin -aris.

Origin

An older Latin adjective-forming suffix; its more remote ancestry is uncertain.

Note

Expresses a relationship without specifying its kind: material, place, purpose, and other connections are possible.

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adjective

marginal

MAR-jih-nul/ˈmɑːrdʒɪnl/

Resulting from one extra unit or a small increase.

The additional sliver produces a marginal increase in the bar's length.

Two almost identical measuring bars, one just a tiny sliver longer, a magnifying glass highlights the minimal difference, no numbers.
Etymology
marginLatinedge, border
+alLatinof, relating to

The pieces mean “relating to an edge.” Originally used for writing at the edge of a page, marginal later described something of little importance or effect rather than something central.

In context

United Nations Command 0:37
i have this strategy called the aggregation of marginal gains and the way that he described it was the one percent improvement in nearly everything that you do
Marginal Gains

More examples

  • Selling one extra ticket brings in marginal revenue of twenty dollars.
  • We compare the marginal benefit of another worker with the added wages.
  • The marginal utility of each additional cookie tends to decrease.

Similar words

incremental
Describes changes made in steps, not necessarily per extra unit.
additional
Means extra overall, without specifying the effect per unit.