Timeline for Origin of the word "turnpike"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
3 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12, 2017 at 21:16 | comment | added | choster | @ColinZwanziger It's a good question, and the OED doesn't go into detail other than to say it is a combining form based on the verb turn. Since the configuration and operation of the original turnpike is unknown, it might relate to its construction or placement if it involved things arranged around an axis, formed by rotation, or which pivot or twist. There are also the senses of To reverse the position or posture of and to alter the course of… to deflect, which could apply either to the barrier or to the horse. | |
| Oct 12, 2017 at 21:06 | comment | added | Colin | Interesting. Yet "spiked barrier fixed in or across a road or passage " is unfortunately a bit vague, and it is hard to see why it would be described with the word "turn" if it was a static barrier. | |
| Oct 12, 2017 at 20:58 | history | answered | choster | CC BY-SA 3.0 |