Meanings
plural beardlines
- mediaThe line below the baseline where the descending letters, such as ⟨p⟩ or ⟨q⟩, sit.
The beardline is the line reached by descenders in letters like p and q.
1992, Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style, Hartley & Marks Publishers, →ISBN - literallyThe outline of a beard.
Heavy beardlines on men, for example, tend to appear in the blue color range. Applying a “beard cover” containing orange pigment (the compliment^([sic]) of blue) will , theoretically, neutralize the beardline, bringing it closer to the natural skin tone.
2015, Richard Corson, James Glavan, Beverly Gore Norcross, Stage Makeup, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 55
Origin
Translations
Finnish alalinja, partaraja
- alalinja(typography)
- partaraja(literally)
German Bartlinie, Bartkante
- Bartlinie(literally)
- Bartkante(literally)
Polish dolna linia pisma, linia brody
- dolna linia pisma(typography)
- linia brody(literally)
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
beardline. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beardline
“beardline.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beardline. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beardline,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beardline.
Source: beardline on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.