gage
noun
[ ɡeɪdʒ ]
• a valued object deposited as a guarantee of good faith.
gage
verb
• offer (an object or one's life) as a guarantee of good faith.
• "a guide sent to them by the headman of this place gaged his life as a forfeit if he failed"
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French gage (noun), gager (verb), of Germanic origin; related to wage and wed.
gage
noun
• variant spelling of gauge (noun).
gage
verb
• variant spelling of gauge (verb).
gage
noun
• another term for greengage.
Origin:
mid 19th century: from the name of Sir William Gage (1657–1727), the English botanist who introduced it to England.
gauge
noun
• an instrument that measures and gives a visual display of the amount, level, or contents of something.
• "a fuel gauge"
• the thickness, size, or capacity of something, especially as a standard measure.
Similar:
size,
measure,
extent,
degree,
scope,
capacity,
magnitude,
width,
breadth,
area,
thickness,
span,
depth,
height,
bore,
calibre,
diameter,
• the position of a sailing ship to windward ( the weather gage ) or leeward ( the lee gage ) of another.
• "the French fleet was heavily outnumbered but had the weather gage"
gauge
verb
• estimate or determine the amount, level, or volume of.
• "astronomers can gauge the star's intrinsic brightness"
Similar:
measure,
calculate,
compute,
work out,
determine,
ascertain,
count,
weigh,
quantify,
put a figure on,
• measure the dimensions of (an object) with a gauge.
• "when dry, the assemblies can be gauged exactly and planed to width"
Origin:
Middle English (denoting a standard measure): from Old French gauge (noun), gauger (verb), variant of Old Northern French jauge (noun), jauger (verb), of unknown origin.
