Added 8 October 2026
gauge
/ˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about gauge at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc.
- Accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared.
- The distance between the rails of a railway or between the wheels of a train.
verb
Origin
From Middle English gauge, gaugen, from Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French gauger (compare Modern French jauger from Old French jaugier), from gauge (“gauging rod”), from Frankish *galgā (“measuring rod, pole”), from Proto-Germanic *galgô (“pole, stake, cross”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“perch, long switch”). Cognate with Old High German galgo, Old Frisian galga, Old English ġealga (“cross-beam, gallows”), Old Norse galgi (“cross-beam, gallows”), Old Norse gelgja (“pole, perch”). Doublet of gallows.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)