An archaic or dialectal term possibly referring to a claim or call for profit, advantage, or compensation; or a summons related to gaining a legal right.
A compound of 'gain' and 'call,' possibly from Old English and Middle English legal or commercial terminology. The term may relate to making a claim or demand for something advantageous.
This word survives primarily in historical documents and appears to be a legal or commercial term from when buying and selling required formal announcements and public calls—it hints at how commerce required lots of talking and proclaiming.
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