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verge1

[vurj]
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noun
  1. the edge, rim, or margin of something: the verge of a desert; to operate on the verge of fraud.
  2. the limit or point beyond which something begins or occurs; brink: on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
  3. a limiting belt, strip, or border of something.
  4. British. a narrow strip of turf bordering on a pathway, sidewalk, roadway, etc.
  5. a decorative border, as on or around an object, structural part, etc.
  6. limited room or scope for something: an action within the verge of one's abilities.
  7. an area or district subject to a particular jurisdiction.
  8. History/Historical. an area or district in England embracing the royal palace, being the jurisdiction of the Marshalsea Court.
  9. the part of a sloping roof that projects beyond the gable wall.
  10. Architecture. the shaft of a column or colonette.
  11. a rod, wand, or staff, especially one carried as an emblem of authority or of the office of a bishop, dean, or the like.
  12. Horology. a palletlike lever formerly used in inexpensive pendulum clocks.
  13. Obsolete. a stick or wand held in the hand of a person swearing fealty to a feudal lord on being admitted as a tenant.
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verb (used without object), verged, verg·ing.
  1. to be on the edge or margin; border: Our property verges on theirs.
  2. to come close to or be in transition to some state, quality, etc. (usually followed by on): a statesman who verged on greatness; a situation that verged on disaster.
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verb (used with object), verged, verg·ing.
  1. to serve as the verge or boundary of: a high hedge verging the yard.
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Origin of verge1

1350–1400; late Middle English: shaft, column, rod (hence boundary or jurisdiction symbolized by a steward's rod), Middle English: penis < Middle French: rod < Latin virga

Synonyms

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1. brim, lip, brink.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for verge on

verge1

noun
  1. an edge or rim; margin
  2. a limit beyond which something occurs; brinkon the verge of ecstasy
  3. British a grass border along a road
  4. an enclosing line, belt, or strip
  5. architect the edge of the roof tiles projecting over a gable
  6. architect the shaft of a classical column
  7. an enclosed space
  8. horology the spindle of a balance wheel in a vertical escapement, found only in very early clocks
  9. English legal history
    1. the area encompassing the royal court that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Lord High Steward
    2. a rod or wand carried as a symbol of office or emblem of authority, as in the Church
    3. a rod held by a person swearing fealty to his lord on becoming a tenant, esp of copyhold land
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verb
  1. (intr foll by on) to be near (to)to verge on chaos
  2. (when intr, sometimes foll by on) to serve as the edge of (something)this narrow strip verges the road
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Word Origin

C15: from Old French, from Latin virga rod

verge2

verb
  1. (intr; foll by to or towards) to move or incline in a certain direction
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin vergere
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for verge on

verge

n.

"edge, rim," mid-15c., 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 (c.1500, also as Anglo-French 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 king's court. Sense shifted to "the outermost edge of an expanse or area." Meaning "point at which something happens" (as in on the verge of) is first attested c.1600. "A very curious sense development." [Weekley]

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verge

v.

"tend, incline," c.1600, from Latin vergere "to bend, turn, tend toward, incline," from PIE *werg- "to turn," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus). Much influenced by verge (n.) in its verbal form meaning "to be adjacent to" (1787). Related: Verged; verging.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
verge on in Medicine

verge

(vûrj)
n.
  1. The extreme edge or margin; a border.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Idioms and Phrases with verge on

verge on

1

Approach, come close to, as in Her ability verges on genius. [Early 1800s]

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2

Be on the edge or border of, as in Our property verges on conservation land. [Late 1700s]

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verge

In addition to the idiom beginning with verge

also see:

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.