Where does “gatehouse” come from?
Gatehouse comes from Middle English gat plus house, with gat from Old Norse gata meaning street or passage, ultimately tracing to Proto-Germanic hūsą and Proto-Indo-European roots.
gatehouse (English): A lodge besides the entrance to an estate; often...
Definitions
- A lodge besides the entrance to an estate; often...
Ancestry of “gatehouse”, step by step
gatehouse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English gate
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gate | A doorlike structure outside a house; Doorway,... |
| 2 | Middle English | gate | An entryway or entrance to a settlement or... |
| 3 | Old English | ġeat | gate; a gate, door |
| 4 | Old French | gaut | forest, woods, woodland |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | walþu | forest |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | walþuz | forest |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wel- | to see |
via English House
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | House | A particular chamber of political representation |
| 2 | Middle English | hous | house, residence; house of worship, temple;... |
| 3 | Old English | hūs | dwelling, shelter, house; house |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hūs | house |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hūsą | house |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewH- | to cover, bedeck; cover |