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English Lexicon

Hurdle

/ˈhɜːrdl/
nounverbCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A barrier or obstacle that must be jumped over in a race.

    "The athlete trained hard to clear every hurdle in the competition."
As verb
  1. 1

    To jump over a hurdle or obstacle.

    "She had to hurdle the fence to reach the other side of the field."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'hurdle' originates from the Old English 'hyrdel', which means a 'barrier' or 'obstacle'. It evolved through Middle English as 'hurdle', referring to a frame or fence made of stakes and wattles, and later came to denote both physical barriers in sports and metaphorical obstacles in life.

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