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frontier settlement

frontier settlement

1 6.6
A small community at the edge of known land where pioneers live
  • noun
  • /frʌnˈtɪr ˈsɛtəlmənt/
translation icon : asentamiento fronterizo
  • The most productive of these frontier settlements included Clay-Ashland (founded in 1846), New York (1852), and Arthington (1870).

Examples

  • Dandong was an important frontier settlement in ancient China.

    Blog text (13)
  • As the country expanded and frontier settlements grew in size, the tradition of public education also expanded into new environments.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Xinguara still looks like an unkempt frontier settlement with few urban graces, but the town is gradually witnessing improvements in its physical infrastructure.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Since the 1600s, New York has been continually recast—from a minor frontier settlement to a port city, a manufacturing city, a financial center, and eventually a de facto world capital.

    Academic text (2006)
  • One of the earliest frontier settlements in America was established by pioneers seeking new opportunities.

  • As settlers moved westward, many chose to establish their homes in frontier settlements near the edge of civilization.

  • Life in a frontier settlement often involved hard work and cooperation among neighbors to thrive in the wilderness.

Synonyms

settlement
vsfrontier settlement
234 3.2

A place where people start living together in a new area

is specifically a border community during expansion into new regions
outpost
vsfrontier settlement
110 6.0

A small station far from towns used for military work, research, or trade

is specifically a border community founded during territorial expansion

How Established

city
1.0
town
1.0
frontier settlement
1 6.6
outpost
110 6.0
camp
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

frontier + settlement

The meaning 'a community established on the border of settled territory' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'frontier' (edge/margin of settlement and wilderness) with 'settlement' (a community founded in a new or remote area). This straightforward noun-noun composition follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The noun frontier settlement comes from the picture of a small settlement built on the frontier, the 'edge' of known land where pioneers lived in simple homes with few supplies and many dangers. So, it means a community set at the border of settled land.