Tollgate
/ˈtoʊl.ɡeɪt/noun
A gate or barrier at a road, bridge, or crossing where a fee is collected.
Did you know?The first element, toll, comes from an old Germanic word for a tax or levy, so a tollgate is literally a gate that turned movement into tribute.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tullōną
“to collect a toll or tax”
Old English
OE
toll
“a tax, levy, or custom duty”
Old Norse
ON
tollr
“a toll, tax”
Middle English
ME
tolgate
“a gate where tolls were collected”
Modern English
English
tollgate
“a gate or barrier where a fee is collected for passage”