curtain

B1 Topic:Theater & Performance

US /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/ UK /ˈkɜːtn̩/ See IPA manual

Freq #5260

Meanings

1

noun
A piece of cloth hung over a window to keep out light or give privacy.

She drew the curtains before going to bed.
2

noun
The large cloth screen that hides or reveals the stage in a theater.

The audience clapped as the curtain rose.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

becurtain

Word family

Forms curtainedcurtainingcurtainlesscurtainsuncurtained

Derived forms bedcurtaincurtain-raisecurtain-raisercurtain-sidercurtain-twitchercurtainficcurtainlesscurtainlikecurtainsidercurtainwallcurtainwiseencurtain

Related forms blind drape

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

hang curtains
put curtains in place on a rail or rod

Verb + noun
cafe curtain
a short curtain hung across the lower part of a window

Noun + noun

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English curtine, from Old French cortine, from Late Latin cōrtīna (“curtain”), a calque from Ancient Greek.

*(s)ker- (turn) Proto-Indo-European curtine Middle English cortine Old French cōrtīna la-lat

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Theater & Performance Actions & Processes

External links

# curtain

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɜːtn̩/
**Frequency rank:** 5260

## Meanings
1. A piece of cloth hung over a window to keep out light or give privacy.
2. The large cloth screen that hides or reveals the stage in a theater.

## Examples
- She drew the curtains before going to bed.
- The audience clapped as the curtain rose.

## Synonyms
- becurtain

## Derived Forms
- bedcurtain
- curtain-raise
- curtain-raiser
- curtain-sider
- curtain-twitcher
- curtainfic
- curtainless
- curtainlike
- curtainsider
- curtainwall
- curtainwise
- encurtain

## Related Forms
- blind
- drape

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)ker- (turn)
- Root: curtine
- Root: cortine
- Root: cōrtīna

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English curtine, from Old French cortine, from Late Latin cōrtīna (“curtain”), a calque from Ancient Greek.

## AI Etymology
curtain is inherited from Middle English curtine, from Old French cortine, from Late Latin cōrtīna (“curtain”), a calque from Ancient Greek. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (turn), Middle English curtine, Old French cortine, la-lat cōrtīna. Current senses include A piece of cloth hung over a window to keep out light or give privacy and The large cloth screen that hides or reveals the stage in a theater. English relatives and later formations include bedcurtain, curtain-raise, curtain-raiser, blind, drape.

## Topics
- Theater & Performance
- Actions & Processes

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