The word 'verge' originates from the Latin 'virga', signifying a slender green branch, rod, or a stripe. This concrete meaning evolved in Old French to denote a rod or staff, particularly one symbolizing authority or jurisdiction, which influenced the sense of a boundary or limit. In English, this concept of a rod or line of demarcation naturally extended to signify the edge or border of an area, such as a roadside strip, and further developed the figurative verb sense of approaching a limit or threshold.

The word 'verge' is a simplex word. It entered English as a whole unit from Old French, ultimately tracing back to the Latin 'virga', meaning a slender green branch, rod, or stripe.