A charge or fee for using a road, bridge, or public facility; or the number of deaths or damages caused by a disaster or conflict.
From Old English 'toll' (a tax collected on goods), which came from Latin 'teloneum' (customs duty). The meaning broadened from just money collected to include the human cost or losses of events.
Modern toll roads seem new, but medieval towns charged tolls at every bridge and gate—essentially monetizing movement—and the practice is so persistent that the U.S. government now uses dynamic tolls (prices that change based on demand) on some highways, creating a modern echo of ancient commerce routes.
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