curfew
UK /ˈkɜː.fjuː/ · US /ˈkɝ.fju/ noun
Forms curfews cover-few
- noun Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time. “The city has been reported calm after a curfew was imposed.”
- noun A regulation requiring loud or disruptive activities such as concerts and sporting events to end by a certain time.
- noun The time when such restriction begins.
- noun A signal indicating this time.
- noun A fireplace accessory designed to bank a fire by completely covering the embers.
- noun (historical) A regulation in feudal Europe by which fires had to be covered up or put out at a certain fixed time in the evening, marked by the ringing of an evening bell.
- noun The evening bell, which continued to be rung in many towns after the regulation itself became obsolete.
Etymology
From Middle English curfu, from Old French cuevre-fu (French couvre-feu), from the imperative of covrir (“to cover”) + fu (“fire”). Compare kerchief.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, --instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself.
- noun A utensil for covering the fire. [Obs.]
Etymology [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre-feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See Cover, and Focus.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “curfew”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details