cur·few
 curfew
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- pronunciation:
- kuhr
fyu
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun), Word History
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a rule or law that establishes a time after which everyone, or everyone of a particular class or group, must be off the street and inside for the night.
A curfew was put into effect after the riots started.There is a curfew for youth under eighteen in this town. |
| definition 2: |
the time established by a curfew.
You have to be in before curfew, which is midnight.
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Curfew comes from
curfu, an early English word for a bell rung at a set time in the evening. The early English word came from an early French word that meant "to cover fire." People were required to cover their fires at night to prevent them from burning out of control. As this usage disappeared, the word came to be used for the time when residents of a city must keep off the streets.