fore edge

American  

noun

1. the front outer edge of a book, opposite the bound edge.

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fore-edge British  

noun

1. the outer edge of the pages of a book

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Etymology

Origin of fore edge

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

The cut fore edge, opposite the spine, is silky smooth.

From Slate • Nov. 19, 2020

Sometimes the exposed pages, known as the fore edge, had text or embellishments, including extravagantly painted scenes from the book.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2018

I ran my thumb along its fore edge, narrow and sharp against my skin.

From The Guardian • Jan. 4, 2011

To do this he had to climb about ten feet up the fore edge of the blade upon which he was perched, and to anyone but a sailor this would have been an impossibility.

From The Log of the Flying Fish A Story of Aerial and Submarine Peril and Adventure by Browne, Gordon

If the back of the book seems to be much thicker than the fore edge, pound down with a backing-hammer.

From Library Bookbinding by Bailey, Arthur Low