noun
between-crops season; off-crops season
Agricultural term for the period between harvests when produce is scarce. Also used figuratively for a transitional gap between periods.
端境期に入ると、野菜の値段が上がる。
When the between-crops season begins, vegetable prices rise.
今は新製品の端境期で、売り上げが落ちている。
We are now in a lull between product cycles, and sales are down.
Compound of 端 (edge, boundary), 境 (border, boundary), and 期 (period, time). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word refers to the transitional period between agricultural seasons.