outskirt

[out-skurt]

noun

1. Often outskirts. the outlying district or region, as of a city, metropolitan area, or the like.

   to live on the outskirts of town; a sparsely populated outskirt.

2. Usually outskirts. the border or fringes of a specified quality, condition, or the like.

   the outskirts of respectability.

Word History and Origins

Origin of outskirt¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; out- + skirt

Example Sentences

Walking today into Herlev Hospital on the outskirts of Copenhagen makes for a rather different experience to arriving at an average NHS hospital.

From BBC

Earlier this week, four Israeli soldiers were killed in an attack on the outskirts of Gaza City.

From BBC

The Boyle Heights resident says the gallery’s location, on the outskirts of downtown near East 21st Street, has brought new life to the commercial area.

From Los Angeles Times

Yarmouk, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, was once the de facto capital of the Palestinian diaspora.

From Los Angeles Times

Stopped by TV reporters outside the mountaintop jail on the outskirts of Medellin and asked if he was a friend of Escobar's, the goalkeeper controversially replied that he was.

From BBC

Related Words

• boundary 
• brink 
• corner 
• end 
• fringe 
• line 
• lip 
• margin 
• mouth 
• perimeter 
• rim 
• shore 
• threshold 
• verge