gate

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English geat; akin to Old Norse gat opening Date: before 12th century 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 device for controlling the passage especially of a fluid 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 gate

> d. a molecule or part of a molecule that acts (as by a change in conformation) in response to a stimulus to permit or block passage (as of ions) through a cell membrane 6. slang dismissal <

gave him the gate

> 7. the total admission receipts or the number of spectators (as at a sports event) II. transitive verb (gated; gating) Date: 1835 1. British to punish by confinement to a campus or dormitory 2. to supply with a gate 3. to control by means of a gate III. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse gata road; akin to Old High German gazza road Date: 13th century 1. archaic way, path 2. dialect method, style