English
gatekeep
From gate + keep, as back-formation from gatekeeper.
Proto-Germanic *gatą ‘hole, opening’
Proto-West Germanic *gat ‘opening, gate’
Old English ġeat ‘gate, door’
Middle English gate ‘gate’
English gate
Proto-Indo-European *ǵab-
Proto-Germanic *kōpijaną ‘to look’
Proto-West Germanic *kōpijan
Old English cēpan ‘to seize’
Middle English kepen ‘to keep’
English keep
Today it means
verb To control or limit access to something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / gatekeep