verged

Verged is a grammatical term referring to the past tense and past participle of the verb "verge." The verb "verge" primarily means to be on the border or edge of something, or to be very close to a particular state or action. For example, one might say, "The crowd verged on panic" to indicate that the crowd was very close to becoming panicked. Similarly, "The conversation verged on being inappropriate" means the conversation was nearing the point of being inappropriate. The word originates from the Old French word "virge," meaning rod or staff, which itself comes from the Latin "virga." In its literal sense, "verge" can also refer to the staff carried by a beadle or other official. However, its most common usage today is in the figurative sense of approaching a limit or a particular condition. The past tense "verged" is used to describe an action or state that occurred in the past and has now reached or approached a certain point.