Main Entry:

¹verge

Pronunciation:

\ˈvərj\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, rod, measuring rod, margin, from Anglo-French, rod, area of jurisdiction, from Latin virga twig, rod, line

Date:

15th century

1 a (1): a rod or staff carried as an emblem of authority or symbol of office (2)obsolete : a stick or wand held by a person being admitted to tenancy while he swears fealty b: the spindle of a watch balance ; especially : a spindle with pallets in an old vertical escapement c: the male copulatory organ of any of various invertebrates2 a: something that borders, limits, or bounds: as (1): an outer margin of an object or structural part (2): the edge of roof covering (as tiling) projecting over the gable of a roof (3)British : a paved or planted strip of land at the edge of a road : shoulder b: brink, threshold <a country on the verge of destruction — Archibald MacLeish>