gage1

 
Pronunciation: /geɪdʒ/
archaic

noun

  • a valued object deposited as a guarantee of good faith.
  • a pledge, especially a glove, thrown down as a symbol of a challenge to fight.

verb

[with object]
  • offer (an object or one’s life) as a guarantee of good faith: a guide sent to them by the headman of this place gaged his life as a forfeit if he failed

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French gage (noun), gager (verb), of Germanic origin; related to wage and wed