Definition of curator
: one who has the care and superintendence of something; especially : one in charge of a museum, zoo, or other place of exhibit
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of curator from the Web
-
Carolyn Atherton, Audubon's curator of birds, stated in a news release Tuesday (July 18) that only one of the many flamingo eggs laid this year at the zoo was fertile.
-
Christina Gorsuch, curator of mammals at the Cincinnati Zoo, said.
-
Organized by Sinead Vilbar, the museum's curator of Japanese art, the show offers an overview of a portion of the bequest of 55 examples of Japanese and Korean art that Gund left to the museum.
-
The curator then assigns the user 50 daily tasks - in a kind of gruesome sensei-student relationship.
-
The on-site design of the exhibit's local version was created by Jacqueline Goldstein, the museum's curator.
-
All ages fiber art activities, demos, curator tours and community art project.
-
But this was Sean Brock, the Southern culinary revivalist with an arm covered in vegetable tattoos, who had collected vintage bottles of American bourbon like a maniacal museum curator.
-
Noris Ledesma, Ph.D. and Curator of Tropical Fruit for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden stands at the foot of what possibly could be the first and oldest Haden mango tree in South Florida.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'curator.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
In a good-sized art museum, each curator is generally responsible for a single department or collection: European painting, Asian sculpture, Native American art, and so on. Curatorial duties include acquiring new artworks, caring for and repairing objects already owned, discovering frauds and counterfeits, lending artworks to other museums, and mounting exhibitions of everything from Greek sculpture to 20th-century clothing.
Origin and Etymology of curator
borrowed from Latin cūrātor “one who looks after, superintendent, guardian,” from cūrāre “to watch over, attend” + -tor, agent suffix — more at 2cure
CURATOR Defined for English Language Learners
curator
playDefinition of curator for English Language Learners
-
: a person who is in charge of the things in a museum, zoo, etc.
CURATOR Defined for Kids
curator
playDefinition of curator for Students
: a person in charge of a museum or zoo
Word Root of curator
The Latin word cūrāre, meaning “to care,” gives us the root cur. Words from the Latin cūrāre have something to do with giving care. A cure, something that heals sickness, is something that cares for someone's health. Anything accurate has been carefully measured or supplied so that it is free from mistakes. A curator is a person who cares for the things in a museum.
Law Dictionary
curator
playLegal Definition of curator
: a person appointed by a court to care for the property of an absent person or to care for the person or property of someone mentally incapable of doing so — compare committee, conservator, guardian, interdict, tutor
curatorship
nounOrigin and Etymology of curator
Latin, guardian, from curare to take care of
Learn More about curator
-
See words that rhyme with curator Spanish Central: Translation of curator Nglish: Translation of curator for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of curator for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about curator
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up curator? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!