gatehouse

[geyt-hous]

noun

plural

gatehouses 

1. a house at or over a gate, used as a gatekeeper's quarters, fortification, etc.

2. a house or structure at the gate of a dam, reservoir, etc., with equipment or controls for regulating the flow of water.

gatehouse

/ ˈɡeɪtˌhaʊs /

noun

1. a building above or beside an entrance gate to a city, university, etc, often housing a porter or guard, or (formerly) used as a fortification

2. a small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion

3. a structure that houses the controls operating lock gates or dam sluices

Word History and Origins

Origin of gatehouse¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; gate ¹, house

Example Sentences

The entrance was cordoned off by police and the rubble of what might have been some kind of gatehouse was strewn across the ground.

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In the 1960s, when Didion and her husband, John Gregory Dunne, lived on the peninsula in a Spanish-style gatehouse, Didion observed the “slump of the hill” making its strange descent into the ocean.

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According to its report, Queen Elizabeth was seen "pacing casually" with her sister Princess Margaret on the road by the gatehouse to the castle when the president drove up with Prince Philip just before noon.

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It was subsequently expanded with a gatehouse, reception hall and display room by Norman Shaw in the following decade.

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A security gatehouse would also be fitted at the new entrance.

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Related Words

• chalet 
• cottage 
• country house 
• dormitory 
• dwelling 
• hostel 
• hotel 
• hut 
• inn 
• motel 
• shack 
• shelter 
• tavern