boundary Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
    bound; bounds.
  2. noun a line determining the limits of an area
    edge; bound.
  3. noun the greatest possible degree of something
    limit; bound.
    • what he did was beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior
    • to the limit of his ability

WordNet

Bound"a*ry noun
Etymology
From Bound a limit; cf. LL. bonnarium piece of land with fixed limits.
Wordforms
plural Boundaries
Definitions
  1. That which indicates or fixes a limit or extent, or marks a bound, as of a territory; a bounding or separating line; a real or imaginary limit.
    But still his native country lies Beyond the boundaries of the skies. N. Cotton.
    That bright and tranquil stream, the boundary of Louth and Meath. Macaulay.
    Sensation and reflection are the boundaries of our thoughts. Locke.
    Syn. -- Limit; bound; border; term; termination; barrier; verge; confines; precinct. Bound, Boundary. Boundary, in its original and strictest sense, is a visible object or mark indicating a limit. Bound is the limit itself. But in ordinary usage the two words are made interchangeable.

Webster 1913