A gate or gateway is a point of entry to a space which is enclosed by walls. Gates may prevent or control the entry or exit of individuals, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port. The word derives from the old Norse "gata", meaning road or , and originally referred to the gap in the wall or fence, rather than the barrier which closed it. The moving part or parts of a gateway may be called "doors", but used for the whole point of entry door usually refers to the entry to a building, or an internal opening between different rooms.
A gate may have a latch to keep it from swinging and a lock for security. Larger gates can be used for a whole building, such as a castle or fortified town, or the actual doors that block entry through the gatehouse. Today, many gate doors are opened by an automated gate operator.
Types of gates include:
This gate does not prevent entry but clearly suggests a borderline
A small but elegant gate to a meadow path
Ishtar Gate is the oldest city gate in existence
Wringin Lawang, a 14th-century Majapahit split gate in Trowulan
Richly decorated Balinese temple gate
This gate at Columbia University was closed to prevent entry of protesters
This gate at Kansai University, built in 1923
Malaysian King's Palace Gate, Kuala Lampur
Medieval ironclad city gate, from the Upper Gate in the old town of Ohrid
Chinese traditional type gate (iron gate in front of house) in Kerala, India