Tolbooths

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of medieval stone structure serving as a toll house for collecting fees from travelers or merchants
2. Buildings historically used for levying tolls, often positioned at gates or ports to regulate trade and passage
3. Structures established for the purpose of imposing tolls on goods or individuals, commonly found at entry points in towns or cities

Etymology: Tolbooths are the plural of "tolbooth", a Scottish word for a building where tolls were collected and town business was done. The word is a compound of "toll" and "booth", and its second half is the more revealing one: a booth was originally a temporary shelter or stall, so the tolbooth began life as a humble collection point at a gate or market before it grew into a substantial civic building. Because these buildings stood at town gates and ports, they became the places where goods were measured and taxed, and their upkeep and use reflected the power of the burgh that owned them. The plural simply names several such structures at once.