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Where does the word "gate" come from? It comes from Old Norse gat, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).
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Where does the word "gate" come from? It comes from Old Norse gat, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).
Gate’s story begins in Old Norse: gat meant “an opening, a road.” An opening or road, later specifically a hinged barrier at an opening. It reached English by 1200s as gate. Settled as the standard English word for a hinged barrier at an opening. Today, gate means a hinged barrier used to close an opening in a wall, fence, or entrance.
- Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval gat "an opening, a road", an opening or road, later specifically a hinged barrier at an opening.
- Stage 2 · English · 1200s gate "a hinged barrier closing an opening in a fence or wall", settled as the standard English word for a hinged barrier at an opening.