curtain

¹cur·tain

noun \ˈkər-t^ən\

Definition of CURTAIN

1

: a hanging screen usually capable of being drawn back or up; especially : window drapery

2

: a device or agency that conceals or acts as a barrier — compare iron curtain

3

a : the part of a bastioned front that connects two neighboring bastions b (1) : a similar stretch of plain wall (2) : a nonbearing exterior wall

4

a : the movable screen separating the stage from the auditorium of a theater b : the ascent or opening (as at the beginning of a play) of a stage curtain; also : its descent or closing (as at the end of an act) c : the final situation, line, or scene of an act or play d : the time at which a theatrical performance begins e plural : end; especially : death <it will be curtains for us if we're caught>

— cur·tain·less \-ləs\ adjective

Examples of CURTAIN

1. Curtains separated the hospital beds.
2. When the curtain rises after intermission, the set is bare and the main character finds himself alone.
3. As the curtain falls for the last time, we see a young woman holding a dying man in her arms.

Origin of CURTAIN

Middle English curtine, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cortina (translation of Greek aulaia, from aulē court), from Latin cohort-, cohors enclosure, court — more at court

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CURTAIN

Synonyms: blanket, cope, cover, covering, coverture, cover-up, cloak, hood, mantle, mask, pall, penumbra, robe, shroud, veil, wraps

Antonyms: birth, nativity

Related Words: blind, concealer, screen, shield; fig leaf, Potemkin village, Trojan horse; camouflage, disguise, facade (also façade), face, mask, veneer; gloss, varnish

Near Antonyms: existence, life; creation, genesis, origination, rise

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with CURTAIN

certain