uncurtain means to remove a curtain from; to reveal. It carries an Arena rating of 1640, earned across 41 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, uncurtain ranks #1,811 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,096 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,074 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #3,132 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words.
Why “uncurtain” is a great word
UNCURTAIN — [Verb] To remove a curtain or veil from something, thereby revealing or disclosing it. From the English prefix un- (expressing reversal or deprivation) + curtain (a piece of cloth used as a screen). First attested in the early 1600s. Unlike 'unveil,' which implies ceremony, or 'expose,' which suggests laying something scandalously bare, to uncurtain is a literal, theatrical act of presentation. It is the heavy velvet hauled aside on its brass rings to show the stage, the morning sun drawing back the gray gauze of fog from a sleeping garden, or the sudden sweep of a hand across a dust-laden shop window—a quiet revelation that changes the light in the room, a physical punctuation between concealment and witness.
Etymology
From un- + curtain.
verb
- To remove a curtain from; to reveal.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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