A movable barrier, usually made of wood, metal, or glass, that opens and closes to let people enter or leave a space. It can also be used metaphorically for an opportunity or way into a situation.
From Old English 'duru' or 'dor', meaning 'door, gate', from Proto-Germanic '*durō'. It is related to German 'Tür' and Dutch 'deur'. The basic meaning has stayed almost unchanged for over a thousand years.
Because doors separate 'inside' from 'outside', they’re powerful symbols in stories—think of 'a door to another world'. Expressions like 'when one door closes, another opens' show how physical objects become mental metaphors. Architecture quietly shapes the way we talk about life choices.
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