frontier
Definitions
A border or boundary between two countries or regions.
边境，边疆
The extreme limit of settled or developed land.
（开发的）边远地区，拓荒前沿
The furthest edge of knowledge or achievement in a field.
（学科/领域的）前沿
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedfront (face, foremost part) + -ier (forming a noun) = the land that 'fronts' onto another country — its outward-facing edge. From this geographic brow came the sense of the advancing edge of settlement, and then, by metaphor, the leading edge of knowledge: 'the frontiers of science.'
Root front still carries 22 more wordsWhy It Means This
Frontier travelled from concrete to abstract. First it was a literal border — the edge facing a neighbor. In American history it became the moving line of settlement, charged with romance and danger. Finally the word slipped its geography entirely: a 'frontier' is now any leading edge where the known meets the unknown, which is why we speak of the frontiers of science or the final frontier of space.
Common Collocations
- 1.cross the frontier越过边境
- 2.frontier town边境小镇
- 3.frontier spirit拓荒精神
- 4.the frontiers of science科学前沿
- 5.new frontier新疆界
Example Sentences
- 1.
They crossed the frontier into Switzerland at dawn.
- 2.
Settlers pushed westward toward the open frontier.
- 3.
Gene therapy is one of the great frontiers of medicine.
Easily Confused
frontier vs border vs boundary — border and boundary are the neutral dividing line itself (the border between France and Spain). frontier adds the idea of an edge facing outward into the wild or the unknown, and often carries romance or challenge (the western frontier, the frontiers of science). You cross a border; you push back a frontier.