A gate or gateway is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in some sort of fence. Gates may prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port. The word derives from the old Norse "gata", meaning road or path, and originally referred to the gap in the wall or fence, rather than the barrier which closed it.
A gate may have a latch to keep it from swinging and a lock for security. Larger gates can be used for a whole building, such as a castle or fortified town, or the actual doors that block entry through the gatehouse. Today, many gate doors are opened by an automated gate operator.
Famous quotes containing the word gate:
“Pale Death beats equally at the poor man’s gate and at the palaces of kings.”
—Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus] (65–8 B.C.)
“You, mistress,
That have the office opposite to Saint Peter,
And keeps the gate of hell!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“What heaven-entreated heart is this
Stands trembling at the gate of bliss;
Holds fast the door, yet dares not venture
Fairly to open it and enter?
Whose definition is a doubt
‘Twixt life and death, ‘twixt in and out?”
—Richard Crashaw (1613?–1649)