Obstacle : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Obstacle	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for Obstacle
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
obstacle n something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan" Synonym(s): obstacle, obstruction an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Obstacle \Ob"sta*cle\, n. [F., fr. L. obstaculum, fr. obstare to withstand, oppose; ob (see {Ob-}) + stare to stand. See {Stand}. and cf. {Oust}, v.] That which stands in the way, or opposes; anything that hinders progress; a hindrance; an obstruction, physical or moral. If all obstacles were cut away. And that my path were even to the crown. --Shak. Syn: Impediment; obstuction; hindrance; difficulty. See {Impediment}, and {Obstruction}.