turnpike

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun (from 16th to 19th centuries) gates set across a road to prevent passage until a toll had been paid
  2. noun an expressway on which tolls are collected

Etymology

From Middle English turnpyke (“spiked barrier across a road”), originally used to block access to such a road until a toll was paid. Equivalent to modern turn + pike (“shaft”).

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