[gate] n [ME, fr. OE geat; akin to ON gat opening] (bef. 12c) 1: an opening in a wall or fence
2: a city or castle entrance often with defensive structures (as towers) 3 a: the frame or door that closes a gate b: a movable barrier (as at a grade crossing)
4. a: a means of entrance or exit b: starting gate c: an area (as at a railroad station or an airport) for departure or arrival d: a space between two markers through which a competitor must pass in the course of a slalom race
5. a: a door, valve, or other mechanism for controlling the passage esp. of a fluid, ion, or molecule b (1): an electronic switch that allows or prevents the flow of current in a circuit (2): an electrode in a field-effect transistor that modulates the current flowing through the transistor according to the voltage applied to the electrode--compare drain, source c: a device (as in a computer) that outputs a signal when specified input conditions are met "logic ~"
6. slang: dismissal "gave him the ~" 7: the total admission receipts or the number of spectators (as at a sports event)
[2]gate vt gat.ed ; gat.ing (1835) 1 Brit: to punish by confinement to a campus or dormitory
2: to supply with a gate
3: to control by means of a gate [3]gate n [ME, fr. ON gata road; akin to OHG gazza road] (13c) 1 archaic: way, path
2. dial: method, style