# curtain

Pronunciation: say "KUR-tn" US /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/, UK /ˈkɜːtn̩/

## Noun

1. A piece of cloth that hangs over a window, bed, or similar opening to give privacy and keep out light.
   - Simple: A piece of cloth hung over a window or bed to block light and give privacy.
   - _He drew the curtain shut to keep the bedroom dark._
   - _Heavy velvet curtains framed the tall windows of the parlor._
2. A large piece of cloth that hangs between the audience and the stage in a theater, raised and lowered between scenes.
   - Simple: A large cloth at the front of a stage that hides it from the audience.
   - _The heavy red curtain swept up to reveal the set._
   - _When the curtains parted, the orchestra fell silent._
5. The beginning of a performance: the moment the stage curtain rises.
   - Simple: The start of a show, the moment when the stage curtain goes up.
   - _Curtain is at half past seven, and latecomers wait in the lobby._
   - _The cast gathered backstage ten minutes before curtain._
6. Death, or the final end of something, imagined as a curtain coming down at the close of a show.
   - Simple: Death, or the moment life comes to an end.
   - _The hero faces the final curtain in the last act of the tragedy._
   - _One more mistake and it's curtains for the whole project._
7. The section of an external wall that runs between two pavilions, towers, or projecting parts of a building.
   - Simple: The part of a wall between two towers or end sections of a building.
   - _The curtain linking the corner pavilions was pierced by tall windows._
   - _Restorers repaired the crumbling curtains between the gatehouse towers._
8. The flat stretch of fortified wall connecting two bastions or towers; the main body of a defensive wall.
   - Simple: The flat stretch of castle wall that joins two towers or corner forts.
   - _The defenders lined the curtain between the bastions with archers._
   - _Engineers reinforced the curtains where the old fortress walls had cracked._
9. In curtain coating, the continuous falling sheet of liquid that lands on a moving substrate.
   - Simple: A steady falling sheet of liquid that lands on a moving surface to coat it.
   - _Operators adjusted the flow until the curtain fell evenly across the web._
   - _A stable curtain produces a smooth, defect-free coating layer._

## Verb

3. To hide, cover, or separate something as if with a curtain.
   - Simple: To hide or cover something, as if behind a piece of cloth.
   - _Thick hedges curtain the garden from prying eyes._
   - _Mist curtained the mountains, hiding them completely._
4. To cover a window with hanging cloth, or to hang cloths over windows for privacy or shade.
   - Simple: To cover a window with hanging cloth.
   - _We curtain the front windows to block the afternoon glare._
   - _The decorator curtained every room in heavy damask._

## Noun

10. A flag or military ensign, referred to with scorn or contempt. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A mocking old word for a flag or banner.

## Origin

This word came through Middle English curtine from Old French cortine, which came from Late Latin cōrtīna ("curtain"), a calque from Ancient Greek.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/curtain (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).