Barrier : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: Barrier	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for Barrier
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
barrier n a structure or object that impedes free movement any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective; "intolerance is a barrier to understanding" Synonym(s): barrier, roadblock anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Barrier \Bar"rier\, n. [OE. barrere, barere, F. barri[8a]re, fr. barre bar. See {Bar}, n.] 1. (Fort.) A carpentry obstruction, stockade, or other obstacle made in a passage in order to stop an enemy. 2. A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a country, commanding an avenue of approach. 3. pl. A fence or railing to mark the limits of a place, or to keep back a crowd. No sooner were the barriers opened, than he paced into the lists. --Sir W. Scott. 4. An any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack. [bd]Constitutional barriers.[b8] --Hopkinson. 5. Any limit or boundary; a line of separation. 'Twixt that [instinct] and reason, what a nice barrier* ! --Pope. {Barrier gate}, a heavy gate to close the opening through a barrier. {Barrier reef}, a form of coral reef which runs in the general direction of the shore, and incloses a lagoon channel more or less extensive. {To fight at barriers}, to fight with a barrier between, as a martial exercise. [Obs.]