Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - gage

 biographical name Thomas 1721-1787 British general & colonial governor in America GAGE  I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, pledge, reward, from Anglo-French — more at wage  Date: 14th century  1. a token of defiance; specifically a glove or cap cast on the ground to be taken up by an opponent as a pledge of combat  2. something deposited as a pledge of performance  II. transitive verb  Date: 15th century  1. archaic pledge  2. archaic stake, risk  III. variant of gauge  IV. noun  Date: 1847 green~