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Virga is from the Latin word virga, which means primarily "branch" or "rod," but can also refer to a streak in the sky suggesting rain. Our featured word, which dates to the mid-20th century, is only the latest in a series of words from this root. "Verge" (which originally referred to a rod or staff carried as an emblem of authority or a symbol of office) dates to the 15th century. The rare noun "virgate," which refers to an old English unit of land area, came from "virga" by way of the Medieval Latin virgata (also a unit of land area) in the late 17th century. The more common adjective virgate, meaning "shaped like a rod or wand" arrived in the early 19th by way of Latin virgatus, meaning "made of twigs."
Examples of virga in a Sentence
Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2024
Light showers and virga are moving through the Valley this morning with the potential of isolated thunderstorms continuing through this evening.
—Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 25 June 2024
Just observed a regenerative line of unrealized convective cells that were producing virga.
—Chris Bianchi, The Denver Post, 18 May 2020
So the virga probably consisted of little ice crystals.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 29 Dec. 2018
Dry air below causes the rain to evaporate before reaching the ground in a phenomenon known as virga.
—USA Today, 22 Aug. 2020
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Cite this Entry
“Virga.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virga. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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