Etymology: Middle English screne, from Anglo-French escren, from Middle Dutch scherm; akin to Old High German skirm shield; probably akin to Sanskrit carman skin, kṛnāti he injures — more at shear
Date: 14th century
1: a protective or ornamental device (as a movable partition) shielding an area from heat or drafts or from view 2: something that shelters, protects, or hides: as a: a growth or stand of trees, shrubs, or plants b: a protective formation of troops, ships, or planes c: something that covers or disguises the true nature (as of an activity or feeling) <his geniality is just a screen>d (1): a maneuver in various sports (as basketball or ice hockey) whereby an opponent is legally impeded or the opponent's view of the play is momentarily blocked (2):screen pass 3 a: a perforated plate or cylinder or a meshed wire or cloth fabric usually mounted and used to separate coarser from finer parts b: a system for examining and separating into different groups c: a piece of apparatus designed to prevent agencies in one part from affecting other parts <an optical screen>d: a frame holding a usually metallic netting used especially in a window or door to exclude pests (as insects) 4 a: a flat surface on which a picture or series of pictures is projected or reflected b: the surface on which the image appears in an electronic display (as in a television set, radar receiver, or computer terminal); also: the information displayed on a computer screen at one time 5: a glass plate ruled with crossing opaque lines through which an image is photographed in making a halftone 6: the motion-picture medium or industry
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