deckle edge

American  

noun

1. the irregular, untrimmed edge of handmade paper, often used for ornamental effect in fine books and stationery, now often produced artificially on machine-made paper.

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deckle edge British  

noun

1. the rough edge of handmade paper, caused by pulp seeping between the mould and the deckle: often left as ornamentation in fine books and writing papers

2. a trimmed edge imitating this

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Other Word Forms

• deckle-edged
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of deckle edge

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deckle edge

To help you see these changes through the lens of Slate’s coverage, we did make you an anthology, although it doesn’t have a gilt cover or a deckle edge.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2016

The smell of an old leather binding; the crisp deckle edge of a new hardback; the way a dog-eared paperback feels in your hand.

From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2016

And she'd have stationery made—blue with a deckle edge, her name and fancy address in swirling type across the top: Grace Windsor Wexler, Sunset Towers on the Lake Shore.

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

It was a simple black journal with leather front and back covers, and pages with a deckle edge.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

The deckle edge is left uncut, just as it comes from the paper-maker.

From The Building of a Book A Series of Practical Articles Written by Experts in the Various Departments of Book Making and Distributing by Hitchcock, Frederick H.