- tolbooth
- noun Etymology: Middle English tolbothe, tollbothe tollbooth, town hall, jail Date: 15th century 1. Scottish a town or market hall 2. Scottish jail, prison
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
tolbooth
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Tolbooth — or tollbooth may mean several things: * Places for the collection of payment at toll roads or customs. * Historical Scottish term for places where councils met (some of which contained prison cells underneath). Especially well known among them… … Wikipedia
Tolbooth — Tol booth , n. See {Tollbooth}. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tolbooth — [tōl′bo͞oth΄] n. [ME tolbothe, booth where toll is collected: see TOLL1 & BOOTH] alt. sp. of TOLLBOOTH … English World dictionary
Tolbooth — the town prison, often consisting of cells below and the town hall above. The most famous Tolbooth was the one in Edinburgh. The original name for the Edinburgh Tolbooth was … Scottish slang
tolbooth — var. of TOLLBOOTH. * * * noun a booth at a tollgate where the toll collector collects tolls • Syn: ↑tollbooth, ↑tollhouse • Hypernyms: ↑booth, ↑cubicle, ↑stall, ↑kiosk • Part Holonyms … Useful english dictionary
tolbooth — obsolete Scottish a prison Originally, the Town Hall, where tolls were paid. The jail was often in the same building: How many gypsies were sent to the tolbooth? (W. Scott, 1815) … How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms
tolbooth — /tohl boohth , boohdh /, n., pl. tolbooths / boohdhz , boohths /. 1. Chiefly Scot. 2. a town jail. 3. a town hall or guild hall, esp. a place where tolls are paid. Also tollbooth. [1300 50; ME; see TOLLBOOTH] * * * … Universalium
tolbooth — noun variant spelling of tollbooth … English new terms dictionary
tolbooth — n. [Scotland. Written also Tollbooth.] Prison, jail … New dictionary of synonyms
tolbooth — tol•booth [[t]ˈtoʊlˌbuθ, ˌbuð[/t]] n. pl. booths [[t] ˌbuðz, ˌbuθs[/t]] Scot. 1) scot. a town jail 2) scot. a town hall or guild hall, esp. a place where tolls are paid • Etymology: 1300–50; ME; see tollbooth … From formal English to slang
