Etymologically
Log in

boundary

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:03. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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

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