frontier
part of speech
noun (a frontier, frontiers)
meaning for a pupil
1) A frontier is a border between two countries, or the land near it. tree →
2) (history, US/Canada/Australia) The frontier was the edge of land settled by newcomers, beyond which the land was wild or belonged to Indigenous peoples. tree →
3) A frontier is the edge of what is known, as in «the frontiers of science», or «space, the final frontier». tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons about the American West, Canada and Australia, «the frontier» brings stories of settlers, pioneers, and also of Indigenous peoples losing their land. In science, «new frontiers» are areas where discoveries are still being made. Phrases: «the frontier», «frontier town», «push back the frontiers», «the final frontier».
examples
- Soldiers guarded the frontier between the two countries. tree →
- Pioneers moved west towards the frontier. tree →
- The frontier town had one dusty street. tree →
- Space exploration is the new frontier. tree →
- Scientists are pushing back the frontiers of medicine. tree →
- Many Indigenous people lost their land as the frontier moved. tree →
- We crossed the frontier by train. tree →
- The Dragon was now so near that in a couple of springs he would be over the frontier. tree →
note
Countable noun. Pronounced «FRUN-teer» (UK) or «frun-TEER» (US). Similar word: border. «Frontier» often has the feeling of an edge or limit, not just a line.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «frontier» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.