CURFEW

Curfew

The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "cover the fire". It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles. It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew". Its original meaning refers to a law made by William The Conqueror that all lights and fires should be put out at the ringing of an eight o'clock bell.

The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Curfew
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curfew

Noun

  1. A regulation in feudal Europe by which fires had to be covered up or put out at a certain fixed time in the evening, marked by the ringing of an evening bell.
  2. The evening bell, which continued to be rung in many towns after the regulation itself became obsolete.
  3. Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.
  4. The time when such restriction begins.
  5. A signal indicating this time.
  6. A fireplace accessory designed to bank a fire by completely covering the embers.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: curfew
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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