Link Centre Dictionary

verge

UK/ˈvøːd͡ʒ/ US/vɜːd͡ʒ/ fairly common uk
noun (4) verb (1)

noun

1.
2.

the limit beyond which something happens or changes

  • “on the verge of tears”
  • “on the brink of bankruptcy”
Synonyms
3.
4.

verb

1.

border on; come close to

  • “His behavior verges on the criminal”

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French verge (“rod or wand of office”), hence "scope, territory dominated", from Latin virga (“shoot, rod stick”), of unknown origin. Earliest attested sense in English is now-obsolete meaning "male member, penis" (c.1400). Modern sense is from the notion of 'within the verge' (1509, also as Anglo-Norman dedeinz la verge), i.e. "subject to the Lord High Steward's authority" (as symbolized by the rod of office), originally a 12-mile radius round the royal court, which sense shifted to "the outermost edge of an expanse or area." Doublet of virga.

Phrases

  • on the verge
  • on the verge of
  • road verge
  • verge escapement
  • verge on
  • verge staff

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.