4. A virgate; a yardland. [Obs.]
5. A border, limit, or boundary of a space; an edge, margin, or brink of something definite in extent.
Even though we go to the extreme verge of possibility to invent a supposition favorable to it, the theory
. . . implies an absurdity.
J. S. Mill.
But on the horizon's verge descried,
Hangs, touched with light, one snowy sail.
M. Arnold. 6. A circumference; a circle; a ring.
The inclusive verge
Of golden metal that must round my brow.
Shak. 7. (Arch.) (a) The shaft of a column, or a small ornamental shaft. Oxf. Gloss. (b) The edge of the
tiling projecting over the gable of a roof. Encyc. Brit.
8. (Horol.) The spindle of a watch balance, especially one with pallets, as in the old vertical escapement.
See under Escapement.
9. (Hort.) (a) The edge or outside of a bed or border. (b) A slip of grass adjoining gravel walks, and
dividing them from the borders in a parterre.
10. The penis.
11. (Zoöl.) The external male organ of certain mollusks, worms, etc. See Illustration in Appendix.
Syn. — Border; edge; rim; brim; margin; brink.
Verge
(Verge) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Verged ; p. pr. & vb. n. Verging ] [L. vergere to bend, turn, incline; cf.
Skr. vj to turn.]
1. To border upon; to tend; to incline; to come near; to approach.
2. To tend downward; to bend; to slope; as, a hill verges to the north.
Our soul, from original instinct, vergeth towards him as its center.
Barrow.
I find myself verging to that period of life which is to be labor and sorrow.
Swift. Vergeboard
(Verge"board`) n. [Verge + board. Cf. Bargeboard.] (Arch.) The ornament of woodwork
upon the gable of a house, used extensively in the 15th century. It was generally suspended from the
edge of the projecting roof (see Verge, n., 4), and in position parallel to the gable wall. Called also
bargeboard.
Vergency
(Ver"gen*cy) n.
1. The act of verging or approaching; tendency; approach. [R.]
2. (Opt.) The reciprocal of the focal distance of a lens, used as measure of the divergence or convergence
of a pencil of rays. [R.] Humphrey Lloyd.
Verger
(Ver"ger) n. [F. verger, from verge a rod. See 1st Verge.] One who carries a verge, or emblem
of office. Specifically: —
(a) An attendant upon a dignitary, as on a bishop, a dean, a justice, etc. [Eng.] Strype.
(b) The official who takes care of the interior of a church building.
