Word: gauge Part of Speech: noun 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 *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. Pronunciation: /ˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/, /ˈɡæɪd͡ʒ/ 1. A measure; a standard of measure; an instrument to determine dimensions, distance, or capacity; a standard Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 1780, Edmund Burke, speech at The Guildhall, in Bristol the gauge and dimensions of misery, depression, and contempt Example: The record of philosophy vis-à-vis silence is generally dismal, as good a gauge as any to its overall failure. 2. An act of measuring. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. An estimate. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. Any instrument for ascertaining or regulating the level, state, dimensions or forms of things Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A thickness of sheet metal or wire designated by any of several numbering schemes, with lower numbers indicating larger size. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. Ellipsis of track gauge. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Example: 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. 7. Ellipsis of loading gauge. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable 8. A semi-norm; a function that assigns a non-negative size to all vectors in a vector space. Labels: countable, uncountable 9. The number of stitches per inch, centimetre, or other unit of distance. Labels: countable, uncountable 10. Relative positions of two or more vessels with reference to the wind. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 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. 11. The depth to which a vessel sinks in the water. Labels: countable, uncountable 12. The quantity of plaster of Paris used with common plaster to make it set more quickly. Labels: countable, uncountable 13. 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. Labels: countable, uncountable 14. 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. Labels: countable, uncountable 15. A shotgun (synecdoche for 12 gauge shotgun, the most common chambering for combat and hunting shotguns). Labels: US, broadly, countable, slang, uncountable Example: I'm talking about cocking a gauge in between your eyes. Example: I'm tryin to find ways to cope / But I ain't fuckin' round with the gauge or a rope 16. A tunnel-like ear piercing consisting of a hollow ring embedded in the lobe. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 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 […] 17. Cannabis. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: […] 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. […] Example: When we settled, he said, “You've been smoking gauge, haven't you?”