Webster's English Dictionary

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barrier

bar.ri.er \'bar-e--*r\ n [ME barrere, fr. MF barriere, fr. barre] 1a: a 
   material object or set of objects that separates, demarcates, or serv es as 
   a barricade 1b: an extension of the antarctic continental ice sheet into 
   the sea restin g partly on the bottom pl, often cap  2: a medieval war game 
   in which combatants fight on foot with a fence or ra iling between them 3: 
   the movable gate or device at the starting line in a racetrack  4: 
   something immaterial that impedes or separates  5: a factor that tends to 
   restrict the free movement and mingling of indivu als or populations