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barrier definition

bar·rier (barē ər, ber-)

noun

  1. Obsolete a fortress, stockade, etc. for defending an entrance or gate
  2. a thing that prevents passage or approach; obstruction, as a fence, wall, etc.
  3. anything that holds apart, separates, or hinders racial barriers, barriers to progress
  4. a customs gate on a country's border
  5. ice shelf
  6. a high fence of stakes enclosing the area in which a tournament of knights was held; lists
  7. Horse Racing the movable gate used to keep the horses in line at the starting point

Etymology: ME barrere < OFr barriere < barre, bar

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