curator means A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo. It carries an Arena rating of 1394, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, curator ranks #2,317 of 14,444 for Most Exacting Words, #2,708 of 14,322 for Scariest Words, #7,084 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #7,102 of 14,448 for Funniest Words.
curator is pronounced /kjʊəˈɹeɪtə(ɹ)/.
Why “curator” is a great word
A person responsible for managing, preserving, and interpreting a collection of objects or artifacts, typically in a museum, library, or similar institution. From Latin cūrātor ("one who has care of a thing, a manager, guardian"), from cūrāre ("to take care of"), from cūra ("care, heed"), first recorded in English in the late 14th century. Unlike a "custodian," who ensures physical maintenance and security, or an "archivist," whose purview is specifically historical records, a curator is charged with the intellectual and narrative care of material things. It is the gloved hand lifting a faded textile to the light, the slow alignment of a fossil on its stand, and the quiet triumph of arranging fragments into a story the world might otherwise forget. The curator's work is the conviction that matter, properly arranged, becomes meaning.
Etymology
From Latin cūrātor (“one who has care of a thing, a manager, guardian, trustee”), from cūrāre (“to take care of”), from cūra (“care, heed, attention, anxiety, grief”).
noun
- A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo.“The Club became like town meetings for the entire New York art scene, attracting dealers, collectors, uptown curators like Alfred Barr, critics, and just about any other culturati who could wrangle their way in.”
- One appointed to act as guardian of the estate of a person not legally competent to manage it, or of an absentee; a trustee.
- A member of a curatorium, a board for electing university professors, etc.
- A person or entity who controls, manages, or oversees another.
- A groundsman who looks after a cricket field.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- conservator 88% match — One who conserves, preserves or protects something. vs curator →
- antiquary 84% match — A person who is knowledgeable of, or who collects antiques (especially one holding an official position); an antiquarian. vs curator →
- menagerie 82% match — A collection of live wild animals as an exhibition historically associated with the aristocracy and considered a precursor of modern zoos. vs curator →
- armarius 81% match — The librarian in a medieval monastery, who kept, repaired and catalogued its manuscripts and books. vs curator →
- wunderkammer 81% match — A cabinet of scientific curiosities, especially during the late Renaissance. vs curator →
- critic 81% match — A person who appraises the works of others. vs curator →
- memorabilia 81% match — Objects that are connected to or remind their owner of past events. vs curator →
- stewardship 81% match — The rank or office of a steward. vs curator →