Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “gauge” come from?

Gauge comes from Middle English gaugen, from Old French gauger, derived from Old French gauge, ultimately from Frankish galga, a word of Proto-Indo-European origin.

gauge (English): A measure; a standard of measure; an instrument...

Definitions

  1. A measure; a standard of measure; an instrument...

Ancestry of “gauge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishgaugeA customary measurement or scale
2Old FrenchgaugerAlternative form of jaugier
3Old FrenchgaugeAlternative form of jauge; gauging rod
4Old French-éused to form past participles of regular -er...
5Latin-asuffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent...
6Proto-Italic-ā—
7Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—

Words derived from “gauge”

  • gaugino
  • gaugeable
  • regauge
  • misgauge
  • supergauge
  • multigauge
  • ungaugeable
  • gaugest
  • marking gauge
  • downgauge
  • gaugeth
  • gyrogauge
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →