Part of a printed circuit board where a number of the metallic conducting tracks meet the edge of the board, at right angles, to form the male half of a plug and socket. The tracks are broadened, thickened, and sometimes gold-plated to provide good electrical contact. A single edge connector may have a hundred or more individual connections, half on each side of the board. The female half of the connector is a multiway socket whose sprung metal contacts can mate with the corresponding pads on the PCB. Connections to various points on the circuit board may then be made indirectly via the socket. See also backplane.