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virga
[ vur-guh ]
/ ˈvɜr gə /
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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use virga in a sentence
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.