edge of the earth
2
7.2
- noun
:
borde del mundo
- fall off the edge of the earth
Examples
-
He took both Thonolan and me to see the Great Waters, and then the people who live near the edge of the earth took us north on a boat.
Fiction book (1990) -
After traveling for days, we finally reached the edge of the earth, where land met the vast ocean.
-
In her dreams, she often found herself standing at the edge of the earth, looking out over endless horizons.
-
They always said they would go to the edge of the earth to find happiness, no matter how far it took them.
Synonyms
5
7.6
A very remote place far from people with a dramatic view
4
4.5
A way of saying someone will go very far to help or find something
1
9.8
A place far from towns and people
How Remote
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'edge' (boundary) and 'Earth' (the world), so its basic sense as the world's boundary or an extreme/remote place is directly derivable from the constituents. This metaphorical extension (remote location = edge of the world) is common cross-linguistically and follows familiar composition patterns, making it readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the words.
Etymology
Edge of the earth comes from old maps that showed a visible edge where the earth seemed to end, and people imagined monsters or unknown lands beyond it. That's why the phrase means 'a very distant place'.