Well, I am not not a native of any of those areas, but some google-fu says that Gate comes from the old norse "Gata", which means Street or Road, and was originally used more for the gap in a wall or fence rather than barrier. So I think the answer to your question is "Yes, it carries similar connotations to a Portal or Way in the WOT usage" though I cannot say if it has ever had the same supernatural connotations that those do an a RL usage.