frontier

[ fruhn-teer, fron-; also, especially British, fruhn-teer ]

noun

1. the part of a country that borders another country; boundary; border.
2. the land or territory that forms the furthest extent of a country's settled or inhabited regions.
3. Often frontiers.
   1. the limit of knowledge or the most advanced achievement in a particular field:

      the frontiers of physics.

   2. an outer limit in a field of endeavor, especially one in which the opportunities for research and development have not been exploited:

      the frontiers of space exploration.

4. Mathematics. boundary ( def 3 ).

adjective

1. of, relating to, or located on the frontier:

   a frontier town.

frontier

/ frʌnˈtɪə; ˈfrʌntɪə /

noun

1. 1. the region of a country bordering on another or a line, barrier, etc, marking such a boundary
   2. ( as modifier )

      a frontier post

2. 1. the edge of the settled area of a country
   2. ( as modifier )

      the frontier spirit

3. often plural the limit of knowledge in a particular field

   the frontiers of physics have been pushed back

Other Words From

• fron·tierless adjective
• fron·tierlike adjective
• semi·fron·tier noun
• transfron·tier adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontier¹

1350–1400; Middle English frounter < Old French frontier, equivalent to front (in the sense of opposite side; front ) + -ier -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of frontier¹

C14: from Old French frontiere , from front (in the sense: part which is opposite); see front

Synonym Study

See boundary.

Example Sentences

The NCA has highlighted a particular area that is a “crucible” for organised immigration crime: the crossing between Turkey and Bulgaria, which marks the EU’s external frontier.

From BBC

Despite the presence of Iran-backed militia groups in Syria, this frontier has remained relatively calm, as Israeli ground forces have battled Iranian allies in Gaza and Lebanon over the past 13 months.

From BBC

In a recently published paper in Nature Microbiology, the Stanford University assistant professor made a convincing argument that fungal fermentation of food waste and agricultural byproducts could be the next culinary frontier.

From Salon

Jesse Watters unlocked new frontiers in conservative psychology on Friday, saying on Fox News' "The Five" that "dad" Donald Trump was going to kick off a "hysterical" program of mass deportation.

From Salon

The auction house said the historic sale "launches a new frontier in the global art market, establishing the auction benchmark for an artwork by a humanoid robot".

From BBC