Gauge
/ɡeɪdʒ/noun
A device or standard for measuring, or the act of measuring something.
Did you know?The word entered English through Old French, and its history is tangled with medieval measuring standards, where a bad gauge could literally mean cheating the market.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*waganą
“to weigh, measure”
Old French
OF
gaugier / gauge
“a standard measure, especially for barrels”
Middle English
ME
gauge
“a standard measure; a measuring instrument”
16th Century
English
gauge
“to measure by a standard; to estimate”
Modern English
English
gauge
“a device or standard for measuring, or the act of measuring”