frontier

English Online Dictionary. What means frontier‎? What does frontier mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English frounter, from Old French fronter (whence Modern French frontière), from front.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹʌntɪə/, /ˈfɹɒntɪə/, /ˈfɹʌntjə/, /ˈfɹɒntjə/, /fɹʌnˈtɪə/, /fɹɒnˈtɪə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /fɹʌnˈtɪɹ/, /fɹɑnˈtɪɹ/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹʌnt͡ʃə/
• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: fron‧tier

Noun

frontier (plural frontiers)

1. The part of a country which borders or faces another country or unsettled region.

   Synonyms: march, marches, border, marchland, borderland
2. The most advanced or recent version of something; the leading edge.

   Near-synonyms: vanguard, state of the art

3. (obsolete) An outwork of a fortification.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

frontier (third-person singular simple present frontiers, present participle frontiering, simple past and past participle frontiered)

1. (intransitive) To live as pioneers on frontier territory.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To place on the frontier.

References

Further reading

• “frontier”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.