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virga

[ vur-guh ]
/ ˈvɜr gə /

noun (used with a singular or plural verb)Meteorology.

streaks of water drops or ice particles falling out of a cloud and evaporating before reaching the ground (distinguished from praecipitatio).

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Origin of virga

1935–40; <Latin: rod, streak

Words nearby virga

vireo, vires, virescence, virescent, Virg., virga, virgate, Virgil, Virgilian, virgin, virginal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for virga

British Dictionary definitions for virga

virga
/ (ˈvɜːɡə) /

noun

(sometimes functioning as plural) meteorol wisps of rain or snow, seen trailing from clouds, that evaporate before reaching the earth

Word Origin for virga

C20: from Latin: streak
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

Scientific definitions for virga

virga
[ vûr′gə ]

Light wisps of precipitation streaming from a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground, especially when the air below is low in humidity.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.