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Simple English definitions for legal terms
gage
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A quick definition of gage:
A gage is something that is given as a promise to do something or to pay something back. It can be a thing that is left as security for a loan or a promise to do something. The word "gage" used to be used instead of "wage" in the past. It can also be used as a verb, meaning to give something as security for a loan or a promise.
A more thorough explanation:
Gage (gayj) is a noun that refers to a pledge, pawn, or other item that is deposited as security for performance. In the past, it was also used to mean wage in legal contexts. For example, a gager del ley was an earlier form of wager of law, while gager de deliverance had the same meaning as wager of deliverance.
Gage is also a verb that means to pawn or pledge something as security for something else.
When a landlord seizes a tenant's goods in distress, they become a gage for the payment of the rent that is in arrears. Similarly, the sheriff often takes gages from those who do not want to give them.
Another example of gage is when someone pawns their watch to get a loan from a pawnshop. The watch becomes the gage for the loan.
These examples illustrate how gage is used to refer to something that is deposited as security for something else. In the case of the landlord and tenant, the tenant's goods are the gage for the payment of rent. In the case of the pawnshop, the watch is the gage for the loan.