gauging

v. measure; evaluate, determine; estimate

Stretching (commonly referred to as gauging, though this is considered erroneous), in the context of body piercing, is the deliberate expansion of a healed fistula (hole in the skin) for the purpose of wearing body piercing jewelry.  Ear piercings are the most commonly stretched piercings, with nasal septum piercings, tongue piercings, and lip piercings/lip plates following close behind. All piercings can be stretched to some degree, however. Cartilage piercings are usually more difficult to stretch, and more likely to form hypertrophic scars or keloids if stretched quickly.
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Noun
1. a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc.
(synonym) gage
(hypernym) measuring instrument, measuring system, measuring device
(hyponym) anemometer, wind gauge, wind gage
2. accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared
(synonym) standard of measurement
(hypernym) standard, criterion, measure, touchstone
3. the distance between the rails of a railway or between the wheels of a train
(hypernym) distance, length
(hyponym) broad gauge
4. the thickness of wire
(hypernym) thickness
5. diameter of a tube or gun barrel
(synonym) bore, caliber, calibre
(hypernym) diameter, diam
Verb
1. judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time); "I estimate this chicken to weigh three pounds"
(synonym) estimate, approximate, guess, judge
(hypernym) calculate, cipher, cypher, compute, work out, reckon, figure
(hyponym) quantize, quantise
2. rub to a uniform size; "gauge bricks"
(hypernym) rub
3. determine the capacity, volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation; "gauge the wine barrels"
(hypernym) determine, find, find out, ascertain
(derivation) gage
4. measure precisely and against a standard; "the wire is gauged"
(hypernym) quantify, measure
(derivation) standard of measurement
5. adapt to a specified measurement; "gauge the instruments"
(hypernym) standardize, standardise
6. mix in specific proportions; "gauge plaster"
(hypernym) blend, flux, mix, conflate, commingle, immix, fuse, coalesce, meld, combine, merge

(p. pr. & vb. n.)
of Gauge
  

Synonyms and related words:
analyzing, appraisal, appraisement, appraising, appreciation, approximation, assessing, assessment, assize, assizement, calculation, categorization, classification, computation, correction, determination, estimate, estimation, evaluating, evaluation, evaluative criticism, factoring, grouping, identification, instrumentation, measure, measurement, measuring, mensuration, metric system, opinion, quantification, quantization, ranking, rating, reckoning, sifting, sifting out, sorting, sorting out, survey, surveying, telemetering, telemetry, triangulation, valuation, valuing, view, weighing, winnowing