different between virge vs verge

English

Noun

virge (plural virges)

1. (obsolete) A wand.

Anagrams

• Viger, giver

Old French

Adjective

virge m (oblique and nominative feminine singular virge)

1. Alternative form of verge (virgin)

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /v??d??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /v?d??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)d?

Etymology 1

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."

Noun

verge (plural verges)

1. A rod or staff of office, e.g. of a verger.
   1. (Britain, historical) The stick or wand with which persons were formerly admitted tenants, by holding it in the hand and swearing fealty to the lord. Such tenants were called tenants by the verge.
2. An edge or border.
   • 1848, John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy

     Even though we go to the extreme verge of possibility to invent a supposition favourable to it, the theory […] implies an absurdity.

   • 1852, Matthew Arnold, Stanzas from Carnac

     But on the horizon's verge descried, / Hangs, touched with light, one snowy sail.
   1. (Britain, Australia, New Zealand) The grassy area between the footpath and the street; a tree lawn.
   2. (figuratively) An extreme limit beyond which something specific will happen.
3. (obsolete) The phallus.
   1. (zoology) The external male organ of certain mollusks, worms, etc.
4. An old measure of land: a virgate or yardland.
5. A circumference; a circle; a ring.
6. (architecture) The shaft of a column, or a small ornamental shaft.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Oxf. Gloss to this entry?)

8. (architecture) The eaves or edge of the roof that projects over the gable of a roof.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Encyc. Brit to this entry?)

9. (horology) The spindle of a watch balance, especially one with pallets, as in the old vertical escapement.

Synonyms

• (strip of land between street and sidewalk): see list at tree lawn

Translations

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin verg? (“to bend, turn, tend toward, incline”), from Proto-Indo-European *werg- (“to turn”), from a root *wer- (“to turn, bend”) (compare versus); strongly influenced by the above noun.

Verb

verge (third-person singular simple present verges, present participle verging, simple past and past participle verged)

1. (intransitive) To be or come very close; to border; to approach.

   Eating blowfish verges on insanity.

2. To bend or incline; to tend downward; to slope.

Derived terms

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “verge”, in Online Etymology Dictionary
• verge at OneLook Dictionary Search

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Latin virg?, virginem.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?v??.??/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?b?r.??/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /?v??.d??e/

Adjective

verge (masculine and feminine plural verges or vèrgens)

1. virgin

   Synonym: poncell

Noun

verge m or f (plural verges or vèrgens)

1. virgin

   Synonyms: poncell, poncella

Further reading

• “verge” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Dutch

Verb

verge

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of vergen

French

Etymology

From Middle French verge (“rod or wand of office”), hence "scope, territory dominated", from Old French verge, virge, from Latin virga (“shoot, rod stick”), of uncertain origin, but probably from a Proto-Indo-European *wisgeh? (“flexible rod or stick”). Doublet of vergue.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /v???/

Noun

verge f (plural verges)

1. rod
2. penis (male sexual organ)

   Synonym: pénis

3. (Canada) yard

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Spanish: verja

Further reading

• “verge” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• grève

Friulian

Alternative forms

• verze

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *virdia (see for cognates), from syncopation of Latin viridia, neuter plural of viridis (“green”).

Noun

verge f (plural vergis)

1. cabbage

Related terms

• vert

Latin

Verb

verge

1. second-person singular present active imperative of verg?

Middle French

Etymology 1

From Old French verge, virge, from Latin virga.

Noun

verge f (plural verges)

1. rod; stick; staff
   • Exodus, the Bible

     Moyse ietta en la terre la verge qu'il tenoit dans sa main […] elle fust soudain changé en serpent

     Moses throw on the ground the staff that he held in is hand […] suddenly, it changes into a serpent

Descendants

• English: verge
• French: verge

Etymology 2

From Old French verge, vierge, virge, from virgene, from Latin virginem, accusative of virg?.

Noun

verge f (plural verges)

1. female virgin (female person who has never had sexual intercourse)

Descendants

• French: vierge

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?vêr.??/
• (flapped rhotic) IPA^(key): [??æ??.??]
• (uvular rhotic) IPA^(key): [??æ??.??]

Etymology 1

From Old Norse verja. Compare Danish værge, Faroese verja, Icelandic verja, Swedish värja.

Verb

verge (present tense verger, past tense verga or verget, past participle verga or verget)

1. (transitive) to protect

Derived terms

• vergemål (“guardianship”)

Etymology 2

From the verb

Noun

verge m (definite singular vergen, indefinite plural verger, definite plural vergene)

1. (literary, rare) a protector, defender
2. (law) a guardian, conservator; a person appointed to manage the affairs of others

   Synonym: formynder

Noun

verge n (definite singular verget, indefinite plural verg, definite plural verga or vergene)

1. weapon used for defense
2. custody

   Synonyms: varetekt, forvaring

See also

• verja, verje (Nynorsk)

References

• “verge” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “verge” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Old French

Etymology 1

From a shortening of earlier forms virgine, virgene, from Latin virginem, accusative singular of virg?, possibly a borrowing.

Alternative forms

• vierche
• vierge
• virge

Noun

verge f (oblique plural verges, nominative singular verge, nominative plural verges)

1. virgin (one who has never had sex)

Adjective

verge m (oblique and nominative feminine singular verge)

1. virgin; virginal

Usage notes

• Often capitalized as la Verge when referring to the Virgin Mary

Descendants

• Middle French: verge
  • French: vierge

Etymology 2

From Latin virga.

Alternative forms

• virge

Noun

verge f (oblique plural verges, nominative singular verge, nominative plural verges)

1. rod; stick; staff

Descendants

• Middle French: verge
  • French: verge