gage

gage · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wadją
2. Frankish · derived from*waddi
3. Middle French · derived fromgager
4. Middle English · inherited fromgage
5. English todaygage

From Middle English gage, from later Old French or early Middle French gager (verb), (also guagier in Old French) gage (noun), ultimately from Frankish *waddi, from Proto-Germanic *wadją (whence English wed). Doublet of wage, from the same origin through the Old Northern French variant wage. See also mortgage.

gage · noun, verb²

See gauge.

gage · noun³

Back-formation from greengage.

Gage · proper noun⁴

1. Middle English · derived fromgage, guage“measure”
2. English todayGage

An occupational surname from Middle English gage, guage (“measure”) for an assayer, or gage (“pledge”) for a moneylender.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 18th–19th c.c. A pint pot.
• from 19th c. A drink.
• mid 17th–early 19th c. A tobacco pipe.
• 19th c. A chamber pot.
• 19th c. A small quantity of anything.
• 15th–19th c. A quart pot.