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gauge
- Main Entry:
- 1gauge
- Variant(s):
- also gage \ˈgāj\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- Middle English gauge, from Anglo-French
- Date:
- 15th century
1 a: a measurement (as of linear dimension) according to some standard or system: as (1): the distance between the rails of a railroad (2): the size of a shotgun barrel's inner diameter nominally expressed as the number of lead balls each just fitting that diameter required to make a pound <a 12-gauge shotgun> (3): the thickness of a thin material (as sheet metal or plastic film) (4): the diameter of a slender object (as wire or a hypodermic needle) (5): the fineness of a knitted fabric expressed by the number of loops per unit width b: dimensions, size c: measure 1 <surveys are a gauge of public sentiment>2: an instrument for or a means of measuring or testing: as a: an instrument for measuring a dimension or for testing mechanical accuracy b: an instrument with a graduated scale or dialect for measuring or indicating quantity 3: relative position of a ship with reference to another ship and the wind4: a function introduced into a field equation to produce a convenient form of the equation but having no observable physical consequences
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