bleeding edge meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

bleeding edge

nounalso spelled bleeding-edge

CA, US, UK /ˈbliː.dɪŋ ɛd͡ʒ/ · AU /ˈbliː.dɪŋ ed͡ʒ/

Etymology Blend of bleed + leading edge, and metaphorically alluding to the cutting edge (“forefront or position of greatest advancement in some field”) as a double-edged sword.

Cartography, Geography, Media, Natural sciences, Printing, Publishing The situation produced when the image extends beyond the nominal margin.

Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Technology Idiomatic Something too new and untested to be reliable or to have any assurance of safety; the figurative place where such things exist.

on the bleeding edge (of something)
They would be the creators of strategy, generators of action and the bleeding edge of the church, ever pushing toward the front lines of conflict.1968, Scott Francis Brenner, Ways of Worship for New Forms of Mission, page 79:

2 more examples

A few leading edge (some say "bleeding" edge) users have stepped into the arena and their experiences have helped sharpen our perception of what the electronic office can be.1977, Infosystems, volume 24, page 64:
The motion-captured ape characters are the bleeding edge of digital effects, rarely short of impressive.2017 July 7, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, “The Ambitious War For The Planet Of The Apes Ends Up Surrendering to Formula”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 27 Nov 2017:

Derived terms: bleeding-edge
Related terms: state of the art
Coordinate terms: cutting edge, leading edge

bleeding-edge

adj

Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Technology Idiomatic Of or pertaining to something, such as technology, which is too new and untested to be reliable or to have any assurance of safety; (in a weakened sense) that represents the latest developments in something.

As you'd expect from a bleeding-edge tablet, it has plenty of other high-end features as well.