Definition of 'curtain'
Word forms: plural curtains
1. countable noun
Curtains are large pieces of material which you hang from the top of a window.
[mainly British]regional note: in AM, usually use drapes
2. countable noun
Curtains are pieces of very thin material which you hang in front of windows in order to prevent
people from seeing in.
[US]regional note: in BRIT, use net curtains 3. singular noun
In a theatre, the curtain is the large piece of material that hangs in front of the stage until a performance begins.
4. singular noun
5. See also Iron Curtain
6.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
curtain
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
curtain in British English
verb
6. (transitive; sometimes foll by off)
to shut off or conceal with or as if with a curtain
7. (transitive)
to provide (a window, etc) with curtains
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C13: from Old French courtine, from Late Latin cortīna enclosed place, curtain, probably from Latin cohors courtyard
Word Frequency
curtain in American English
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
5. Theatre
a.
c.
an effect, line, or situation in a play just before the curtain closes
d.
6. US; [pl.]; Slang
death; the end
verb transitive
7.
to provide or decorate with a curtain
8.
to cover, conceal, or shut off as with a curtain
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
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 ovenWord Frequency
curtain in American English
(ˈkɜːrtn)
noun
1.
a hanging piece of fabric used to shut out the light from a window, adorn a room, increase privacy, etc.
4. Theater
a.
a set of hanging drapery for concealing all or part of the stage or set from the view of the audience
b.
the act or time of raising or opening a curtain at the start of a performance
an 8:30 curtain
c.
the end of a scene or act indicated by the closing or falling of a curtain
first-act curtain
d.
a strong curtain
weak curtain
e.
music signaling the end of a radio or television performance
5.
anything that shuts off, covers, or conceals
a curtain of artillery fire
9. See draw the curtain on
10. See lift the curtain on
transitive verb
SYNONYMS 1. drapery, portiere, lambrequin, valance. 1, 3. curtain, blind, shade, shutter agree in being covers for a window, to shut out light or keep persons from looking
in. curtain, blind, and shade may mean a cover, usually of cloth, which can be rolled up and down inside the window.
curtain, however, may also refer to a drapery at a window; and a Venetian blind consists of slats mounted on tapes for drawing up or down and varying the pitch of
the slats. blind and shutter may mean a cover made of two wooden frames with movable slats, attached by hinges
outside a window and pulled together or opened at will. shutters may mean also a set of panels (wooden or iron) put up outside small shops or stores
at closing timeUSAGE 3. See window shade.11.
to provide, shut off, conceal, or adorn with, or as if with, a curtain
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
curtainless adjective
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME co(u)rtine ‹ AF, OF ‹ LL cortīna, prob. equiv. to co(ho)rt- (s. of cohors; see court) + -īna -ine1, as calque of Gk aulaía curtain, deriv. of aule᷄ courtyard]Examples of 'curtain' in a sentence
curtain
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In other languages
curtain
British English: curtain
/ˈkɜːtn/ NOUN
Curtains are hanging pieces of material which you can pull across a window to keep light out or prevent people from looking in.
She drew the curtains in her bedroom.
- American English: curtain /ˈkɜrtən/
- Arabic: سِتَارَة
- Brazilian Portuguese: cortina
- Chinese: 窗帘
- Croatian: zavjesa
- Czech: závěs
- Danish: gardin
- Dutch: gordijn
- European Spanish: cortina
- Finnish: verho
- French: rideau
- German: Vorhang
- Greek: κουρτίνα
- Italian: tenda
- Japanese: カーテン
- Korean: 커튼
- Norwegian: gardin
- Polish: zasłona
- European Portuguese: cortina
- Romanian: perdea
- Russian: занавеска
- Latin American Spanish: cortina
- Swedish: gardin
- Thai: ม่าน
- Turkish: perde
- Ukrainian: штора
- Vietnamese: rèm cửa
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curtain
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Definition of curtain from the Collins English Dictionary
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