Bar"ri*er (&?;), n. [OE.
barrere, barere, F. barrière, fr. barre bar. See Bar, n.]
1. (Fort.) A carpentry obstruction,
stockade, or other obstacle made in a passage in order to stop
an enemy.
2. A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a
country, commanding an avenue of
approach.
3.
pl. A fence or railing to
mark the limits of a place, or to keep back a crowd.
No
sooner were the barriers opened, than he paced into
the lists.
Sir W. Scott.
4.
Any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack. "Constitutional barriers."
Hopkinson.
5. Any
limit or boundary; a line of separation.
'Twixt that [instinct] and reason, what a nice barrier!
Pope.
Barrier gate, a heavy gate
to close the opening through a barrier. -- Barrier
reef, a form of coral
reef which runs in the general direction of the shore,
and incloses a lagoon channel more or less
extensive. -- To fight at barriers, to fight with
a barrier between, as a
martial exercise.
[Obs.]
Hear it pronounced