turnpike
- Historical a turnstile
- tollgate
- a toll road, esp. one that is an expressway
Origin of turnpike
Middle English turnpyke, a spiked barrier across a road: see turn and piketurnpike
turnpike
Noun
(plural turnpikes)
- A frame consisting of two bars crossing each other at right angles and turning on a post or pin, to hinder the passage of animals, but admitting a person to pass between the arms; a turnstile.
- A gate or bar set across a road to stop carriages, animals, and sometimes people, until a toll is paid; a tollgate.
- (Scotland) A winding stairway.
- (military) A beam filled with spikes to obstruct passage; a cheval-de-frise.
- (US) A toll road, especially a toll expressway.
- A road that was formerly a toll road.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present turnpikes, present participle turnpiking, simple past and past participle turnpiked)
- To form (a road, etc.) in the manner of a turnpike road; into a rounded form, as the path of a road.
Origin
From Middle English turnpyke (“spiked barrier across a road"), originally used to block access to such a road until toll was paid.
