boundary

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbaʊndɹi/, /ˈbaʊndəɹi/ (UK); /ˈbaʊndɹi/, /ˈbaʊndəɹi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is an alteration of dialect bounder (16th century), from the verb bound, to limit, and -er,^[2][3] perhaps on the pattern of limitary;^[3][4] Etymonline and MWU describe it as bound and -ary.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

That which marks the limits of something: 1598 in MWU, 1626 in the OED, the 1620s in Etymonline.^[6][7][5]

Semantic evolution

Strictly, it was a visible mark indicating a dividing line, while a bound was the furthest point of a thing.^[5] In cricket the limit of the field is from 1867, and a hit to the boundary from 1896.^[7] In mathematics, boundary condition is from 1902 and boundary value from 1898.^[7]

Timeline

• 1598 – a limit.^[6]
• 1626 – in the OED.^[7]
• 1867 – in cricket.^[7]
• 1902 – boundary condition.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Something that marks a border or limit.
2. The border or limit itself.
3. (cricket) The edge of the field, or a hit that reaches it.

Word family

• boundaryless
• boundarylessness
• transboundary
• boundary condition
• boundary line
• boundary rider

Related words

• bound
• bourn
• bounder
• limit

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press