curtain

curtain
curtain (n.) c.1300, from O.Fr. cortine "curtain, tapestry, drape, blanket," from L.L. cortina "curtain," but in classical Latin "round vessel, cauldron," from L. cortem (older cohortem) "enclosure, courtyard" (see COHORT (Cf. cohort)). The confusion apparently begins in using cortina as a loan-translation for Gk. aulaia ("curtain") in the Vulgate (to render Heb. yeriah in Exodus xxvi:1, etc.) because the Greek word was connected to aule "court," perhaps because the "door" of a Greek house that led out to the courtyard was a hung cloth. The fig. sense in curtain call is from 1884. Curtains "the end" is 1912, originally from stage plays.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • curtain — [kʉrt′ n] n. [ME & OFr cortine < LL(Ec) cortina, lit. a cauldron, enclosing circle of a theater, curtain (< IE base * (s)ker , to CURVE); used in Vulg. instead of L cors, cohors (see COURT) to translate Gr aulaia, curtain (esp. in a… …   English World dictionary

  • Curtain — Cur tain (k[^u]r t[i^]n; 48), n. [OE.cortin, curtin,fr. OF. cortine, curtine, F. courtine, LL. cortina, curtian (in senses 1 and 2), also, small court, small inclosure surrounded by walls, from cortis court. See {Court}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • curtain — ► NOUN 1) a piece of material suspended at the top to form a screen, hung at a window in pairs or between the stage and auditorium of a theatre. 2) (the curtain) the rise or fall of a stage curtain between acts or scenes. 3) (curtains) informal a …   English terms dictionary

  • curtain up — noun (theatre) The beginning of a performance • • • Main Entry: ↑curtain …   Useful english dictionary

  • Curtain — Cur tain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Curtained} (k[^u]r t[i^]nd; 48); p. pr. & vb. n. {Curtaining}.] To inclose as with curtains; to furnish with curtains. [1913 Webster] So when the sun in bed Curtained with cloudy red. Milton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Curtain Up! — (2009) is an announced British stage comedy by Peter Quilter, a reworking of his own all female first play Respecting Your Piers[1] (1998). It is to be re published by Samuel French Ltd. The show is popular[citation needed] with amateur groups in …   Wikipedia

  • curtain — index blind (obscure), camouflage, cessation (termination), cloak, conceal, cover (conceal) …   Law dictionary

  • curtain — [n] window covering blind, decoration, drape, drapery, film, hanging, jalousie, oleo, portiere, rag, roller, screen, shade, shield, shroud, shutter, valance, veil, Venetian blind; concept 444 …   New thesaurus

  • Curtain — For other uses, see Curtain (disambiguation). For religious use, see Veil. Curtains at a Bed Breakfast. A curtain (sometimes known as a drape, mainly in the United States) is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or… …   Wikipedia

  • curtain — curtainless, adj. /kerr tn/, n. 1. a hanging piece of fabric used to shut out the light from a window, adorn a room, increase privacy, etc. 2. a movable or folding screen used for similar purposes. 3. Chiefly New Eng. a window shade. 4. Theat. a …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”