curfew

/ˈkɜː.fjuː/

curfew means any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.

curfew is pronounced /ˈkɜː.fjuː/.

Etymology

From Middle English curfu, from Old French cuevre-fu (French couvre-feu), from the imperative of covrir (“to cover”) + fu (“fire”). Compare kerchief.

noun

Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.e.g.“Curfews have been curbing / The end of liberty”
The time when such restriction begins.
A signal indicating this time.
A fireplace accessory designed to bank a fire by completely covering the embers.
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.
The evening bell, which continued to be rung in many towns after the regulation itself became obsolete.e.g.“I have my lodging neere unto a tower, where both evening and morning a very great bell doth chime Ave marie and Cover-few, which jangling doth even make the tower to shake […].”

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

curfewed 72% match — Subject to a curfew vs curfew →
curfewless 62% match — Without a curfew. vs curfew →
uncurfewed 53% match — Not curfewed. vs curfew →
ignitegium 50% match — A curfew bell. vs curfew →
curb 47% match — A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand). vs curfew →
curbed 46% match — restrained vs curfew →
bedtime 45% match — The time or hour at which one retires to bed in order to sleep. vs curfew →
courthouse 45% match — A public building housing courts of law. vs curfew →