boundary
n.-
1 physical border (n.) B1 Intermediatea real or imagined line that marks the edge of a place, like a country or a garden.
a line or border marking the limit of a physical area or territory.
ExampleThe river forms a natural boundary between the two farms.
ExampleThe surveyors spent weeks marking the exact boundary between the private estate and the newly designated national park.
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2 social or personal limit (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea limit that you set to protect your feelings, privacy, or time.
a metaphorical limit or rule defining acceptable behaviour, privacy, or professional conduct in social interactions.
ExampleIt is important to set clear boundaries between your work life and your home life.
ExampleThe therapist emphasized the importance of maintaining professional boundaries when dealing with long-term clients to ensure objective care.
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3 sporting edge (n.) C1 Advanced British English Sportthe edge of the playing area in a game like cricket.
the outer limit of a playing field, or a scoring event where the ball crosses this line.
ExampleThe batsman hit the ball hard and it flew over the boundary for six runs.
ExampleThe fielder made a desperate dive to stop the ball before it reached the boundary, but his effort was just a second too late.
Usageoften used in the context of cricket to describe a hit that scores four or six runs.
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4 mathematical limit (n.) C2 Proficiency Technical Maththe set of points on the very edge of a shape or group of numbers.
the set of points in the closure of a set that do not belong to its interior.
ExampleThe boundary of the circle is the line that forms its circumference.
ExampleIn topology, the boundary of a set is defined as the intersection of the closure of the set and the closure of its complement.
From bound + -ary, Old French, from Latin.