gauge
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: gāj
ipa: /ˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/
ipa: /ˈɡæɪd͡ʒ/
rhymes: -eɪdʒ
homophone: gage
Forms: form: gauges
form: gage
Etymology: 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 *galga (“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.
Senses: examples: text: 1780, Edmund Burke, speech at The Guildhall, in Bristol
the gauge and dimensions of misery, depression, and contempt
text: The record of philosophy vis-à-vis silence is generally dismal, as good a gauge as any to its overall failure.
ref: 2008 Spring/Summer, John Zerzan, “Silence”, in Green Anarchy, number 25:
glosses: A measure; a standard of measure; an instrument to determine dimensions, distance, or capacity; a standard
glosses: An act of measuring.
glosses: An estimate.
glosses: Any instrument for ascertaining or regulating the level, state, dimensions or forms of things
glosses: A thickness of sheet metal or wire designated by any of several numbering schemes, with lower numbers indicating larger size.
examples: text: It was Locke who concisely won the argument for a standardised gauge of 4ft 8½ inches over Brunel's 7ft 0 ¼in preference. […] Today, over 60% of the world's railways use that gauge.
ref: 2023 August 23, David E Norris, “Joseph Locke: a railway injustice...”, in RAIL, number 990, page 57:
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: Ellipsis of track gauge.
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: Ellipsis of loading gauge.
topics: mathematical-analysis
mathematics
sciences
glosses: A semi-norm; a function that assigns a non-negative size to all vectors in a vector space.
topics: business
knitting
manufacturing
textiles
glosses: The number of stitches per inch, centimetre, or other unit of distance.
examples: text: A vessel has the weather gauge of another when on the windward side of it, and the lee gauge when on the lee side of it.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Relative positions of two or more vessels with reference to the wind.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: The depth to which a vessel sinks in the water.
qualifier: plastering
glosses: The quantity of plaster of Paris used with common plaster to make it set more quickly.
glosses: That part of a shingle, slate, or tile, which is exposed to the weather, when laid; also, one course of such shingles, slates, or tiles.
topics: engineering
firearms
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
tools
war
weaponry
glosses: A unit of measurement which describes how many spheres of bore diameter of a shotgun can be had from one pound of lead; 12 gauge is roughly equivalent to .75 caliber.
examples: text: I'm talking about cocking a gauge in between your eyes.
ref: 1992, “A Nigga Witta Gun”, in The Chronic, performed by Dr. Dre, Death Row Records:
text: I'm tryin to find ways to cope / But I ain't fuckin' round with the gauge or a rope
ref: 1996, “Illusions”, in Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom, performed by Cypress Hill:
text: It happens everyday don't make me grab the gauge / Dangerously I play, I best to kill with the gauge / And put ya body in the back of that grey Chevrolet
ref: 2000, “Grab The Gauge”, in Underground Vol. 3: Kings of Memphis, performed by Three 6 Mafia:
glosses: A shotgun (synecdoche for 12 gauge shotgun, the most common chambering for combat and hunting shotguns).
examples: text: Jenni didn't really look as though she fit in with the rest of the girls here, she had a nose piercing and angel bites, her long curly dark brown hair with red highlights was pulled back exposing gauges and many other ear piercings and a tattoo […]
ref: 2013, Destiny Patterson, Samantha Beckworth, Jennifer Proctor, Arose, page 150:
synonyms: ear gauge
glosses: A tunnel-like ear piercing consisting of a hollow ring embedded in the lobe.
examples: text: […] smoking gauge was a new phenomenon to Himes: “When I looked up after turning the corner, all the grimy facades seemed to be a blaze of bright colors, gold, scarlet, blue, green, like an array of peacocks. […]
ref: 1971, Black Creation, volumes 3-6, page 53:
text: When we settled, he said, “You've been smoking gauge, haven't you?”
ref: 2000, Cynthia Palmer, Michael Horowitz, Sisters of the Extreme:
glosses: Cannabis.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: 1 gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: 2 gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: alarm gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: American gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: American wire gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Birmingham gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Birmingham wire gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: break of gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: break-of-gauge station
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: broad-gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: broad gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Coulomb gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: cream gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: crusher gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: depth gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: dial gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: downgauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: feeler gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Freycinet gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: fuel gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gas gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge block
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge boson
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge cock
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge field
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge ghost
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge glass
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gaugelike
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gaugeon
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge pressure
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge-restricted
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gauge theory
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gaugino
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: gyrogauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Johansson gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: lattice gauge theory
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: lee gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: line gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: liquor gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: loading gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Lorentz gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Lorenz gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: marking gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: McLeod gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: metre-gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: metre gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: meter gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: mixed gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: multigauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: narrow gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: narrow-gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: out of gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: paper gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: pear gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Penning gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: perforation gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Pirani gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: pressure gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: quantum gauge theory
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: rail gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: rain gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: ring gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: rubber gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Russian gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: standard gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: star gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: steam gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: strain gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: stream gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: supergauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: tide gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: tire gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: tire-pressure gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: tyre gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: tyre-pressure gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: vacuum gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: varigauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: water gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: weather gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: Weyl gauge
sense: Terms derived from gauge (noun)
word: wind gauge