Gate of the BCR Headquarters Building (Bucharest, Romania)

A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the sup ...

s. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

path A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desire p ...

; But other terms include ''

yett A yett (from the Old English and Scots language word for "gate") is a gate or grille of latticed wrought iron bars used for defensive purposes in castles and tower houses. Unlike a portcullis, which is raised and lowered vertically using mecha ...

and

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall or fence, rather than a

barrier A barrier or barricade is a physical structure which blocks or impedes something. Barrier may also refer to: Places * Barrier, Kentucky, a community in the United States * Barrier, Voerendaal, a place in the municipality of Voerendaal, Netherl ...

which closed it. Gates may prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals, or they may be merely decorative. The moving part or parts of a gateway may be considered "

doors A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security by ...

", as they are fixed at one side whilst opening and closing like one. A gate may have a

latch A latch or catch (called sneck in Northern England and Scotland) is a type of mechanical fastener that joins two (or more) objects or surfaces while allowing for their regular separation. A latch typically engages another piece of hardware on t ...

that can be raised and lowered to both open a gate or prevent it from swinging. Locks are also used on gates to increase the security. Larger gates can be used for a whole building, such as a castle or

fortified town A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

. Actual doors can also be considered gates when they are used to block entry as prevalent within a

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mo ...

. Today, many gate doors are opened by an automated gate operator.

Purpose-specific types of gate

Baby gate A baby gate or child safety gate is a protective barrier designed to prevent babies and toddlers from accessing areas of a home that may not be safe for them, such as stairways and kitchens. Baby gates are typically constructed of metal, plast ...

a safety gate to protect babies and toddlers * City gate of a

walled city A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

Hampshire gate A Hampshire gate, New Zealand gate or wire gate is a type of agricultural gate formed from a section of wire fence which can be removed temporarily. This type of gate is used where access is only needed occasionally, or when the cost of a conve ...

(a.k.a. New Zealand gate, wire gate, etc.) * Kissing gate on footpath * Lychgate with a roof * Mon (architecture), Mon ''Japanese:'' gate. The religious torii compares to the Chinese Paifang, pailou (paifang), Indian torana, Indonesian Paduraksa and Korean hongsalmun. Mon are widespread, in Japanese gardens. * Portcullis of a castle * Race gates a gate used checkpoints on race tracks. * Slip gate on footpaths * Turnstile * Watergate (architecture), Watergate of a castle by navigable water * Slalom skiing gates * Wicket gate

Image gallery

File:Gate ajar.jpg, This gate and massive gateposts has no locks—a gate marks a borderline in ownership/use and can allow passage. File:Garden Gate.JPG, A small, elegant gate to a meadow path File:Pergamonmuseum Babylon Ischtar-Tor.jpg, Ishtar Gate is the oldest city gate in existence File:Wringin Lawang, Trowulan.jpg, Wringin Lawang, a 14th-century Majapahit split gate, called ''"Candi bentar"'', in Trowulan, Java, Indonesia File:Ubud temple entrance.jpg, Richly decorated Indonesian Balinese Balinese temple, temple gate called Paduraksa File:Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Columbia 8 by David Shankbone.jpg, This gate at Columbia University was closed to prevent entry of protesters File:Finlayson gate1.jpg, The gate of Finlayson (company), Finlayson factory in Tampere, Finland File:Kansai University,1923.jpg, A gate at Kansai University, built in 1923 File:MalKingsPalaceGate.jpg, Malaysian King's Palace Gate, Kuala Lampur File:Ohrid Upper Gate close-up.jpg, Medieval ironclad city gate, from the Upper Gate in the old town of Ohrid File:Chinese_type_gate_from_kerala.jpg, Chinese traditional type gate (iron gate in front of house) in Kerala, India File:MuscatRoadGate.jpg, Gates decorate routes in the entrance of Muscat, Oman File:Kuwaitgate.jpg, Kuwait Gate, historically surrounded Kuwait City, built in 1929 File:Royal Military College of Canada front gates.jpg, Royal Military College of Canada front gates and

File:Ernst Rudolph By the Entrance.jpg, Ernst Rudolph, ''By the Entrance'' File:Royal_Mint_Melbourne.jpg, Decorative Lists of national symbols, emblems of state are also fixed on gates to public buildings, old Royal Melbourne Mint File:Shri Swaminarayan Mandir gate.jpg, Gate of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhavnagar, India File:Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University gate on the eve of Namvistar Din celebrations.png, Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University gate on the eve of Namantar Andolan#Namvistar Din, Namvistar Din celebrations reflects Ajanta Caves, Ajanata art File:Michael's Gate and tower-Bratislava-Slovakia.JPG, Michael's Gate in Bratislava, Slovakia File:St Louis Gateway Arch.jpg, St. Louis Gateway Arch File:Shunfeng Park Paifang (night).jpg, A Chinese Paifang at Foshan, China File:Warszawa, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 26-28 20170516 001.jpg, Warsaw University main gate, Poland File:Gate of Farm Gunsteling in Namibia (2017).jpg, Gate of Farm ''Gunsteling'' in Namibia (2017) File:Ancient gate of Suandok temple , Chiangmai , Thailand.jpg, Thai Temple (wat) gate at Wat Suan Dok, Chiang Mai Province, Chiang Mai File:Ariyalai Mahamari Amman Kovil (அரியாலை மகாமாரி அம்மன் கோவில்).jpg, A gopuram, Hindu temple gate tower, in Sri Lanka File:Eiheiji35nt3200.jpg, A Japanese temple gate (mon) at Eiheiji File:Puerta Torre de los siete suelos Alhambra Granada Spain.jpg, A Moorish architecture gate in Alhambra, Granada, Spain File:Gate of the Thai Embassy in Paris.jpg, A French architecture, French-manner gate of the embassy of Thailand in Paris File:Embassy of South Korea in Moscow, gates.jpg, Adapted-Korean architecture, Korean-manner gate of the embassy of South Korea in Moscow File:Iron Gates-Osgoode Hall National Historic Site of Canada-Toronto-Ontario-HPC4258-20221201.jpg, The Iron Gates of Osgoode Hall, Toronto

References

External links

{{Authority control Gates, Doors Fortification (architectural elements) Garden features

Purpose-specific types of gate

Image gallery

See also

References

External links