Plural of gage: items given as security or pledge, or instances of measuring and assessing something.
Plural of 'gage,' which has multiple meanings: as a pledge or security (from Old French), and as measurement (also from Old French 'gauger'). Both senses developed distinct uses in English over centuries.
The word 'gage' is a perfect example of how medieval English was full of multiple-meaning words—the same term could mean your security deposit AND the act of measuring, yet people understood the distinction from context!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.