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 — 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 — /kerr fyooh/, n. 1. an order establishing a specific time in the evening after which certain regulations apply, esp. that no civilians or other specified group of unauthorized persons may be outdoors or that places of public assembly must be… … Universalium
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
