Meanings
plural turnstiles
- A rotating mechanical device that controls and counts passage between public areas, especially one that only allows passage after a charge has been paid.
an efficient system for funneling crowds through turnstiles
1 more example
The fare was fixed at 2d., irrespective of distance, and was paid by passengers on passing through turnstiles at each station.
1941 May, “Jubilee of the City Tube”, in Railway Magazine, page 224Synonyms: turnpike
- human sciencesThe ⊢ symbol used to represent logical entailment (deducibility relation), especially of the syntactic type; i.e., syntactic consequence. (Such symbol can be read as "prove(s)" or "give(s)". )
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA rotating mechanical device that controls and counts passage between public areas, especially one that only allows passage after a charge has been paid.
nounA similar device in a footpath to allow people through one at a time while preventing the passage of cattle.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*terh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*tórh₁nos
- Proto-Hellenic*tórnos
- Ancient Greekτόρνος (tórnos)
- Latintornus
- Latintornō
- Proto-West Germanic*turnēn
- Old Englishturnian
- Latintornō
- Old Frenchtorner
- Middle Englishturnen
- Englishturn
- Proto-Indo-European*steygʰ-
- Proto-Indo-European*stéygʰeti
- Proto-Germanic*stīganą
- Proto-West Germanic*stīgan
- Proto-West Germanic*stigi
- Proto-Germanic*ilō
- Proto-West Germanic*stigilu
- Old Englishstiġel
- Middle Englishstile
- Englishstile
- Englishturnstile
Translations
Catalan torniquet
- torniquetrotating mechanical device
Chinese Cantonese 閘機 /闸机
- 閘機 /闸机 (zaap⁶ gei¹)rotating mechanical device
Chinese Mandarin 閘機 /闸机, 通關機 /通关机
- 閘機 /闸机 (zhájī)rotating mechanical device
- 通關機 /通关机 (tōngguānjī)rotating mechanical device
- 驗票閘門 /验票闸门 (yànpiào zhámén)rotating mechanical device
Czech turniket
- turniketrotating mechanical device
Danish drejekors
- drejekorsrotating mechanical device
Dutch tourniquet, draaihek
- tourniquetrotating mechanical device
- draaihekrotating mechanical device
- draaikruisrotating mechanical device
Esperanto turnbariero
- turnbarierorotating mechanical device
Finnish kääntöportti
- kääntöporttirotating mechanical device
French tourniquet
- tourniquetrotating mechanical device
German Drehkreuz
- Drehkreuzrotating mechanical device
Greek τουρνικέ
- τουρνικέ (tourniké)rotating mechanical device
Hungarian beléptetőkapu, forgókorlát
- beléptetőkapurotating mechanical device
- forgókorlátrotating mechanical device
- forgósorompórotating mechanical device
- forgókeresztrotating mechanical device
- forgóajtórotating mechanical device
Icelandic krosshlið, veltihlið
- krosshliðrotating mechanical device
- veltihliðrotating mechanical device
Irish geata casta
- geata castarotating mechanical device
Italian tornello
- tornellorotating mechanical device
Japanese 自動改札機
- 自動改札機 (jidō kaisatsuki)rotating mechanical device
Korean 개집표기
- 개집표기 (gaejip'pyogi)rotating mechanical device
Polish kołowrót, turnikiet
- kołowrótrotating mechanical device
- turnikietrotating mechanical device
- bramkarotating mechanical device
- bramka obrotowarotating mechanical device
Portuguese roleta, catraca
- roletarotating mechanical device
- catracarotating mechanical device
- borboletarotating mechanical device
- torniqueterotating mechanical device
Romanian turnichet
- turnichetrotating mechanical device
Russian турнике́т
- турнике́т (turnikét)rotating mechanical device
Spanish molinete, torniquete
- molineterotating mechanical device
- torniqueterotating mechanical device
- tornorotating mechanical device
Swedish vändkors
- vändkorsrotating mechanical device
Tagalog biling-bilingan
- biling-bilinganrotating mechanical device
Turkish turnike
- turnikerotating mechanical device
Ukrainian турніке́т
- турніке́т (turnikét)rotating mechanical device
Vietnamese cổng xoay, cổng quay
- cổng xoayrotating mechanical device
- cổng quayrotating mechanical device
- cửa xoayrotating mechanical device
- cửa quayrotating mechanical device
Welsh giât dro, llidiart tro
- giât drorotating mechanical device
- llidiart trorotating mechanical device
Cite this entry
turnstile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turnstile
“turnstile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turnstile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turnstile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turnstile.
Source: turnstile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.