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curtain Definition

cur·tain (kʉrt′'n)

noun

  1. a piece of cloth or other material, sometimes arranged so that it can be drawn up or sideways, hung for decoration, as at a window, or to cover, conceal, or shut off something
  2. anything that covers, conceals, separates, or shuts off a curtain of fog
  3. that part of a wall between two bastions, gates, etc.
  4. Archit. an enclosing wall that does not support a roof
  5. Theater
    1. the large drape or hanging screen at the front of the stage, which is drawn up or aside to reveal the stage
    2. the opening of the curtain at the beginning, or its closing at the end, of a play, act, or scene
    3. an effect, line, or situation in a play just before the curtain closes
    4. curtain call
  6. ☆ Slang death; the end

Etymology: 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 theater) < aulē, open court, taken as if same word as L aula, pot: for IE base see oven

transitive verb

  1. to provide or decorate with a curtain
  2. to cover, conceal, or shut off as with a curtain

curtain Idioms

draw the curtain on

or drop the curtain on
  1. to end
  2. to conceal

lift the curtain on

or raise the curtain on
  1. to begin
  2. to reveal

curtain Synonyms

curtain

n.

drape, drapery, hanging, portiere, screen, shade, window covering, film, decoration, blind, valance, awning, veil.

Kinds of curtains include: fiberglass curtain, jalousie, draw curtain, roller shade, pleated shade, shutter, portiere, arras, valance, lambrequin, purdah (East Indian), Venetian blind(s), mini-blind(s), vertical blind(s), Austrian drape(s).

draw the curtain on

  1. finish, stop, bring to a close; see end 1.

  2. conceal, keep secret, suppress;

lift the curtain on

  1. start, initiate, commence; see begin 1.

  2. expose, disclose, uncover;

curtain Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • shower: Potato Sorting Back at the ranch, Val had more potatoes drying off on old shower curtains laid on the lawn.
  • pull: A joy to pull the curtains in the morning!
  • draw: He draws the curtains on his bedroom window to block out the view.
  • hang: Simply hang the 3ft long plastic door curtain across any standard sized door way to create the effect of entering the real wild west.
  • shut: GM backtoparents Mar 1 2006, 02:26 PM Are you shutting the curtains during the day?
  • drape: It was converted into a rudimentary studio by draping heavy black curtains on the walls to deaden the noise from the passing trains.

Preposition: at

dusk: Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.

Adjective modifier

  • black-out: My husband remembered there used to be black-out curtains in the basement which were still there.
  • net: A peek behind the net curtains into a world we don't want to look at.
  • ready-made: I also needed a great deal of assistance & help to understand why these ready-made curtains would cost me £ 299.

Modifies a noun

  • raiser: This is a curtain raiser for their May issue which will focus on Linux.
  • airbag: Blame the mass of safety equipment, of which the Sirion has plenty, including curtain airbags.
  • pole: Now at that time, we didn't have any curtains, nor even a curtain pole on the back kitchen window.
  • wall: The large glass windows are a curtain wall with the cast iron behind bearing the weight.

Noun used with modifier

  • velvet: Well, hidden behind drawn velvet curtains you will find a back room cinema furnished like a Bedouin tent.
  • blackout: How wonderful it was to be able to switch on the lights indoor without worrying about pulling the blackout curtains.
  • lace: Periton's new work for Gallery 4 will hang over the windows like intricate lace curtains.
  • stalactite: In it are some fine white stalactite curtains and straws up to three feet long.
  • iron: We were just seeing each other's faces behind the iron curtains.
  • gauze: Through the gauze curtain our eyes were all riveted upon the scene within.

Browse dictionary entries near curtain

  1. ‹ curtailment
  2. ‹ curtail
  3. ‹ curt
  4. ‹ cursory
  5. ‹ cursorial
  6. ‹ cursor
  7. ‹ cursive
  8. ‹ cursed
  9. ‹ curse
  10. ‹ currycomb
  1. curtain call ›
  2. curtain lecture ›
  3. curtain raiser ›
  4. curtain speech ›
  5. curtain wall ›
  6. curtal ›
  7. curtal ax ›
  8. curtate ›
  9. curtesy ›
  10. curtilage ›