Curfew — Cur few (k[^u]r f[=u]), n. [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See {Cover}, and {Focus}.] 1. The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
curfew — (n.) early 14c., evening signal, ringing of a bell at a fixed hour, from Anglo Fr. coeverfu (late 13c.), from O.Fr. cuevrefeu, lit. cover fire (Mod.Fr. couvre few), from cuevre, imper. of covrir to cover (see COVER (Cf. cover) (v.)) + feu fire… … Etymology dictionary
curfew — ► NOUN 1) a regulation requiring people to remain indoors between specified hours, typically at night. 2) the time at which such a restriction begins. ORIGIN originally denoting a regulation requiring fires to be extinguished at a fixed hour in… … English terms dictionary
curfew — [kʉr′fyo͞o΄] n. [ME curfeu < OFr covrefeu, lit., cover fire < covrir (see COVER) + feu, fire < L focus, fireplace: see FOCUS] 1. a) in the Middle Ages, the ringing of a bell every evening as a signal for people to cover fires, put out… … English World dictionary
Curfew — This article is about the curfew law. For the band, see Curfew (band). For the song by Drive, see Curfew (song). For the song by Eddy Grant, see Message Man. A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply.[1]… … Wikipedia
curfew — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ strict ▪ 24 hour, dusk to dawn ▪ night, night time ▪ 7 p.m., etc … Collocations dictionary
curfew — n. 1) to impose a curfew 2) to lift a curfew 3) a midnight curfew * * * [ kɜːfjuː] a midnight curfew to impose a curfew to lift a curfew … Combinatory dictionary
curfew — noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French coverfeu, signal given to bank the hearth fire, curfew, from coverir to cover + fu, feu fire, from Latin focus hearth Date: 14th century 1. the sounding of a bell at evening < the Curfew tolls the … New Collegiate Dictionary
curfew — cur|few [ˈkə:fju: US ˈkə:r ] n [U and C] [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: covrefeu signal to put out fires, curfew , from covrir to cover + feu fire ] 1.) a law that forces people to stay indoors after a particular time at night, or the… … Dictionary of contemporary English
curfew — cur•few [[t]ˈkɜr fyu[/t]] n. 1) an order establishing a time in the evening after which certain regulations apply, esp. that no unauthorized persons may be outdoors or that places of public assembly must be closed 2) a regulation requiring a… … From formal English to slang
