Oh my word: Gauge, gauze, gaze

Gaze means looking at someone or something steadily for some time. Gazing is more than looking, or more than a mere look at something or someone. This look could be out of surprise or in admiration.

The newly-wed couple sat gazing at the sea (till their mobile phone rang).

At the time of the wedding, the couple get no time to gaze at each other.

When the actress walked into the hall, the audience gazed upon her.

Gaze as noun means a ‘long steady look’ at someone or something out of admiration, surprise or disbelief; a fixed look or a stare. Gaze is a singular noun (but as a verb it could be – gazes: she gazes, he gazes, gazed, gazing).

Gauge as a noun means a standard measure related to width, thickness, and also judging or estimating somebody’s potential in doing something or someone’s intelligence (how can we gauge his mental acumen?). Gauge is an instrument for measuring an amount of level of something such as petrol gauge, pressure gauge, rain gauge, speed gauge, etc. Gauge as a verb means to measure something (a precision instrument can gauge the diameter to a fraction of a millimetre).

A person’s behaviour under stress is a reliable gauge of his mental health?

The standard gauge between rails on a railway or tramway is four feet and 8.5 inches.

Narrow gauge railway lines are converted in to broad gauges by the Indian railways.

The gauge of a sheet metal has to be measured before putting it on the roof.

What gauge of wire should we use for this job?

What are the indicators to gauge the economic recession?

Ahmedpur Katwa Light Railway is a narrow gauge (2’ 6’’) line opened to traffic in 1917. It was built and operated by London-based company until 1966 with 15 km an hour speed but it is going to be disbanded by the ministry of railways.

Gauze is a thin, transparent fabric made of cotton or silk or any other fabric; netting made of very thin wire like gauze curtain, gauze patch which is used to apply to a wound. Gauzy is an adjective – of or like gauzy.