Gate
/ɡeɪt/noun
An opening in a wall, fence, or other barrier that can be opened and closed; also, a movable barrier itself.
Did you know?Gate comes from the same old Germanic root as words for a path or way, and in older English it could mean a road or street, not just the barrier itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰedʰ-
“to go, to drive, to move”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gatan
“way, road, opening”
Old English
OE
geat
“opening, gate, door, entrance”
Old Norse
ON
gata
“road, path, street”
Middle English
English
gate
“an opening in a wall or fence; a barrier that opens and closes”
Modern English
English
gate
“a movable barrier or an entrance in a fence, wall, or other enclosure”