VERGE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, rod, measuring rod, margin, from Anglo-French, rod, area of jurisdiction, from Latin virga twig, rod, line Date: 15th century 1. a. a rod or staff carried as an emblem of authority or symbol of office, a stick or wand held by a person being admitted to tenancy while he swears fealty, the spindle of a watch balance, the male copulatory organ of any of various invertebrates, 2. something that borders, limits, or bounds: as, an outer margin of an object or structural part, the edge of roof covering (as tiling) projecting over the gable of a roof, a paved or planted strip of land at the edge of a road ; shoulder , brink , threshold , II. intransitive verb (~d; verging) Date: 1787 to be contiguous, to be on the ~ or border , III. intransitive verb (~d; verging) see: wrench Date: 1610 1. to move or tend toward the horizon ; sink , to move or extend in some direction or toward some condition , to be in transition or change