frontier: Meaning and Definition of

fron•tier

Pronunciation: (frun-tēr', fron- also, esp. Brit., frun'tēr), [key]
— n.
  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, the frontiers of physics.
    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, esp. one in which the opportunities for research and development have not been exploited:the frontiers of space exploration.
  4. boundary (def. 2).
—adj.
  1. of, pertaining to, or located on the frontier: a frontier town.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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