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vir·gate¹

(vûrgāt′)

adj.

Shaped like a wand or rod; straight, long, and slender.

[Latin virgātus, made of twigs, from virga, twig.]

vir·gate²

(vûrgĭt)

An early English measure of land area of varying value, often equal to about 30 acres (12 hectares).

[Medieval Latin virgāta, from feminine of Latin virgātus, relating to a rod; see VIRGATE¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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