curtain 
When day, expiring in the west, 
The curtain draws <> nature s rest. 
linrnt, Dainty Davie. 
3. Ono of the movable pieces of canvas or 
other material forming a tent. 
'I'll. .11 shall make tin: lal.ernacle with ten curtain* of 
line t winni linen. . . . Anil th.m shall DMk* tfttftoAw of 
goats' hair to ! a covering upon the tabernacle. 
Ex. xxvi. 1, 7. 
I saw the tents of nishaniti alllietion : and the curtain* 
of the hind of Midian did tivml.lt-. Hah. iii. 7. 
4. In fort., that part of a rampart which is be- 
tween the flanks of two bastions or between two 
towers or gates, and bordered with a parapet, 
behind which the soldiers stand to fire on the 
covered way and into the moat. See cuts under 
bastion and rroini-irork. 
A Fowling Tnwr against the Town doth rear, 
And on the top (or highest stage) of it 
A flying Hridge, to reaeh tlie Cuurtin fit, 
U it'h pnllies, poles. 
Sulivxler, tr. of I)u llartas's Weeks, ii., The Decay. 
5f. An ensign or flag. 
Their ragged nirtiiiii* poorly are let loose 
And our air shakes them passing scornfully. 
Shale., Hen. V., iv. 2. 
6. In iiii/colni/y, same as cortina. 7. A plate in 
a lock designed to fall over the keyhole as a 
mask to prevent tampering with the lock. 8. 
The leaden plate winch divides into compart- 
ments the large leaden chamber in which sul- 
phuric acid is produced by the oxidation of sul- 
phurous compounds in the ordinary process of 
manuf acture. Behind the curtain, in concealment ; 
in secret. - Complement of the curtain. See coinple- 
nifiit. The curtain falls, the scene closes ; the play 
comet* '" an end. 
Truly and lic-antlf ully has Scott said of Swift, " the stage 
darkened ere the curtain fi>ll." Chamber* K Eneyc. of Lit. 
The curtain rises, the play or scene opens. To draw 
the curtain, to close it by drawing its parts together; 
hence, to conceal an ohject; refrain from exhibiting, de- 
scribing, or descanting on something: as, we draw the 
curtain over his failings. To drop the curtain, t " close 
the scene ; end. To raise the curtain, t" open the play 
or scene ; disclose something. 
curtain (ker'tan), v. t. [Early mod. E. also 
tor tine, corten; < ME. eortinen, cortynen, curtain ; 
from the noun.] To inclose with or as with cur- 
tains ; furnish or provide with curtains. 
On the Frenche kynge's right hand was another trauerse 
. . curtened all of white satten. 
Hall, Hen. VIII., an. 24. 
Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse 
The curtain'd sleep. Shak., Macbeth, ii. 1. 
Whose eye-lids curtained up their jewels dim. 
A'eato, Endymion, i. 
As the smile of the sun breaks through 
Chill gray clouds that curtain the blue. 
Bryant, Song Sparrow. 
curtain-angle (ker'tan-ang'gl), n. The angle 
included between the' flank and the curtain of a 
fortification. See cut under bastion. 
curtain-lecture (ker'tan-lek'tur), n. A private 
admonition or chiding; a lecture or scolding, 
such as might be given behind the curtains or 
in bed by a wife to her husband. 
What endless brawls by wives are bred ! 
The curtain-lecture makes a mournful bed. 
Dryden, tr. of Juvenal's Satires. 
She ought, in such cases, to exert the authority of the 
fin-lain Ifflnre, and if she Hilda him of a rebellious dispo- 
sition, t*i tame him. Addition, The Ladies' Association. 
curtainless (ker'tan-les), a. [< curtain + -less.'] 
Without curtain or curtains: as, a curtainless 
bed. 
curtain-of-mail (ker'tan-ov-mal'), 1. The 
camail. 2. The piece of chain-mail which 
hangs from the edge of a helmet of the Arabic 
type, used by Mussulmans throughout the mid- 
dle ages, and down to a very recent date. See 
hi-lmii. 
curtain-wall (kcr'tan-wal), n. In fort., a cur- 
tain; the wall of a curtain. 
Tamworth retains part of the curtain-teall remarkable 
for its herring-bone masonry. 
G. T. Clark, Military Architecture, I. vi. 
curtalt (kor'tal), n.aud. [Also written curtail, 
curtal, I'lirtnil, I'lirlnlil, ntrtolil, also courtault 
(as F.); < OF. c<trttilt, later courtaut, adj., 
short, as n. a curtal, a horse with docked tail 
(also a horse of a particular size), F. coiirtatul, 
short, thickset, dumpy, docked, crop-eared (= 
It. cortaldo, in., a curtal, a horse with a docked 
tail, eortalda, f., a short bombard or pot-gun), 
< court (= It. corto), short (see curt), + -null. 
-nit, It. -altlii, E. -nM. By popular etymology, 
the adj. and noun (now obsolete) as well as 
the verb h:i\ been changed to curtail, q. v.] 
I. a. Short; cut short ; abridged; brief; scant. 
A '-in -lulil, slipper. 
89 
1409 
Why hast thoii marr'ii my sword ? 
The pummel's well, the blade is <-ii,-t<il short 
Gref/if, inland.. Kurioso. 
Iii fruit-time, we had some soure cherries, . . . halfc a 
!>ollnd of llgyes, and now and then a whole pound, aecord- 
M- to the nnmher of those that sate at table, but in that 
minced and fin-lull manner that there was none of IIS so 
nimhlc-lingcr d that wee could come to vve it the secmid 
time. */*, The liogiie (cd. Kli'i), ii. 274. 
Matters uf this moment, as they were not to be deciiic.l 
then- l.y those IHvines, so neither are they to be deter- 
min'd heer by Kssays and rnrliil Aphorislna. I. lit l.y solid 
priKifs of Scripture. Milton, Kikonoklastcs, \iiii. 
Curtal dog (also written by corruption curtail doff), a 
die whose 1 tail was cut "If, according to the old Knglish 
forest laws, to signify that its owner was hindered from 
coursing; in later usage, a common dog not meant for 
sport ; a dog that has missed his game. 
My fiirlal day, that wont to have play'd, 
Plays not at all, hut seems afraid. 
Shot., Passionate Pilgrim, xviii. 23. 
The curtail dogs, so taught they were, 
They kept the arrows in their month. 
Jtotrin 1/oott aiul the. Curtail fVi/cr(('hild's Ballads, V. 277). 
Curtal friar, apparently, a friar wearing a short gown or 
habit. 
Robin Hood lighted off his horse, 
Anil tyed him to a thome ; 
Carry me over the water, thou curtail fryer, 
Or else thy life's forlorn. 
H<MH Hood and the Curtail Fryer (Child's Ballads, V. 273). 
Who hath seen our chaplain ? Where is our curtal-friar ! 
Scott, Ivanhoe, xxxii. 
II. . 1. A horse or dog with a docked tail: 
hence applied to a person mutilated in any 
way. 
I am made a ciirtoH ; for the pillory hath eaten off both 
my ears. Qreeiu. 
I'd give bay Curtal, and his furniture, 
My mouth no more were broken than these Imys'. 
Shak., Alls Well, Ii 3. 
And l>ecause I feared he would lay claim to my sorrel 
curtoll in my stable, I ran to the smith to have him set on 
his mane again and his tail presently, that the commis- 
sion-man might not think him a curtoll. 
Cha2nan, Gentleman Usher, i. 1. 
2. A short cannon. 3. A musical instrument 
of the bassoon kind. Also written courtal, 
courtel, corthal, cortand, courtant. 
I knew him by his hoarse voice, which sounded Jike the 
lowest note of a double courtel. 
Tom lirmtm, Works (ed. 1760), II. 182. 
curtalt (ker'tal), . t. [< curtal, a. Now cur- 
tail, a. v.] 1*0 cut short; curtail. 
curtal-axt , curtle-axt, [Also written eurtlttr, 
also curteliicc, coitrtelas, curtelas, etc., corrupt 
forms, simulating curtal, short, and ax (appar. 
by association with tattle-ax), of cutlas, cut- 
lace: see cutlas.] A cutlas (which see). 
But speare and cv.ii.axc both usd Priamond in Held. 
Spenser, F. Q., IV. ii. 42. 
A gallant curtle-axe upon my thigh. 
"' *., As you Like it, I. 3. 
There springs the Shrub three foot aboue the grass, 
Which fears the keen edge of the Curtelace. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, ii., Eden. 
curtaldt, curtallt, and n. See curtal. 
curtana, n. See curtein. 
curtasyt, An obsolete form of courtesy. 
curtate (ker'tat), a. [< L. curtatus, pp. of cur- 
tare, shorten, < curtus, shortened: see curt.] 
Shortened; reduced Curtate cycloid. See cy- 
cloid,\. Curtate distance of a planet, in astron., the 
distance between the sun or earth and that point where 
a perpendicular let fall from the planet meets the plane 
of the ecliptic. 
curtation (ker-ta'shon), n. [< NL. "curta- 
tio(n-), < L. curtare, pp. curtatus, shorten: see 
curtate.'] In astron., the difference between a 
planet's true distance from the sun and its 
curtate distance. 
curtein, curtana (ker-tan', -ta'nH), n. [AF. 
curtein, OF. cortain, courtain, ML. curtana, < L. 
curtus, broken, shortened: see curt. The name 
was orig. applied to the sword of Roland, of 
which, according to the tradition, the point 
was broken off in testing it.] The pointless 
sword carried before the kings of England at 
their coronation, and emblematically consider- 
ed as the sword of mercy. It is also called the 
sword of Edward the Confessor. 
Homage denied, to censures you proceed ; 
lint when Curtana will not do the deed, 
You lay that pointless clergy-weapon by, 
Ami to the laws, your sword of justice, fly. 
lii-inlfii. Hind and Panther, ii. 419. 
curteist, " A Middle English form of courteous. 
CUrtelt, ". Same as Icirtlr. 
curtelast, curtelasset, Same as curtal-tu- 
for cut/it.*. 
CUrtesy, - See courti-.ii/. 
curtilage (ker'ti-laj), . [< OF. cortillage, cur- 
tillaijc, curli/ni/i, mnrtilliiy<; < murtil, cortil, cur- 
curvature 
til, a courtyard, < L. corn (<<'!-), ML. also <-r- 
tix, :\ court: si'" 1 mart, .] In luif, tin 1 nri'a of 
land occupied by a dwelling and its yard and 
outbuildings, and inclosed, or denned aw if in- 
closed, for their better use and enjoyment. At 
. '.1111111.11 law, breaking into an outbuilding is not tcchni 
call} honsehreaking unless it is within the curtilage. 
curtinet, An obsolete spelling of rurtuin. 
curtlaxt, curtle-axt, . SiM 1 curtal-ax. 
curtly (kert'li), atlr. In a curt manner, (n) Brief- 
ly; shortly. 
Here M r . I.icentiat shew'd liis art; and hath s.. </,//./, 
succinctly, and concisely epit..nii/.'d the lung stoi> ..f the 
captive. (Jayton, Noteson II..M Vuix.ii. iv. 16. 
(6) In a short and dry utterance ; abruptly. 
CurtneSB (kert'nes), . Shortness; concise- 
ness ; tart abruptness, as of manner. 
The sense must be curtailed anil broken into parts, to 
make it square with the curfnc of the melody. 
Kame*, Elein. of Criticism. 
curtolt, curtoldt, curtollt, and . See cnr- 
tal. 
curtsy (kfert'si), M. [Also written curtesy, curt- 
sey ; another form of courtesy.] Same as cour- 
tesy, 3. 
curtsy (kert'si), v. ; pret. and pp. curtsied, ppr. 
curtsyint/. Same as courtesy. 
curuba (ko'ro-ba), n. [Corruption of native 
i-H/it/ia.] The sweet calabash of the Antilles, 
the fruit of Passiflora multiformis. 
curucui (ko'ro-kwi), n. [Braz. ; prob. imita- 
tive.] The Brazilian name of a bird, the Tro- 
gon curucui (Linnaeus), in the form Curucujut it 
was made by Bonaparte in 1854 the generic name of the 
group of trogons to which the curucui pertains. 
curule (ku'rol), a. [= F. curitle = Sp. Pg. cu- 
rul = It. curule, < L. curulis, prob. for currulis 
(sometimes so written), of or pertaining to a 
chariot (or to the sella curulis, the curule chair), 
< currits (curru-), a chariot, < currere, run, race : 
see current 1 , curricle.] 1. Pertaining or belong- 
ing to a chariot. 2. Privileged to sit in a cu- 
rule chair: as, the curule magistrates. Curule 
chair or seat, among the Romans, the chair of state, the 
right to sit in which was re- 
served, under the republic, to 
consuls, pretors, curule ediles, 
censors, the flamen dialis, and 
the dictator and his deputies, 
when in otliee- all, hence, 
styled curule tnaifistrates. Un- 
der the empire it was assumed 
by the emper- ir. and was grant- 
ed i" the priests of the im- 
p-rial house, and perhaps to 
the prefect of the city. In 
form it long resembled a plain 
folding seat with carved legs 
and no back, but is described as incrusted with ivory, etc.; 
and later it was ornamented in accordance with the prev- 
alent taste for luxury. 
There are remains at 'Lucca of an amphitheatre ; . . . 
and in the town-house there is a fine relief of a curule 
chair. Pococke, Description of the East, II. ii. 208. 
cururlett, n. [Appar. a mistake for curwillet.] 
A sort of plover. Crabb. 
CUrval (ker'val), a. [< curve + -al.] In her., 
same as curvant. 
CUTVant (ker'vant), a. [< curve + -ant 1 .] In 
her., curved or "bowed, 
curvate, curvated (ker'vat, -va-ted), a. [< L. 
curratns, pp. of citrrare, make crooked or curved, 
< curvus, curved : see curve, a.] Curved ; bent in 
a regular form. 
curvation (ker-va'shon), . [< L. curratio(n-), 
< currare, pp. curvatus, bend, curve : see curve, 
r.] The act of bending or curving. 
CUTVative (ker'va-tiv), a. [< L. evrratns, pp., 
curved (see currate), + -ive.] In hot., having 
the leaves slightly curved. [Rare.] 
curvature (ker'va-tur), n. [= Sp. It. curva- 
tttra = Pg. curvadura, < L. cunatura, < curvare, 
?p. curvatus, bend, curve: see curvate, curre, v.] 
. Continuous bending; the essential character 
of a curve: applied primarily to lines, but also 
to surfaces. See phrases below. 
In a curve, the curvature is the angle through which 
the tangent sweeps round per unit of length of the curve. 
A. DanitU, Prin. of Physics, p. 74. 
2. Any curving or bending; a, flexure. 3. 
Something which is curved or bent. Aberrancy 
of curvature. See aberrancy. Absolute curvature 
of a twisted curve, in geom., the reeipnieal of the radius 
of the osculating circle. Angle of curvature. See 
anyles. Angular curvature of the apine, in pathol., 
abnormal and excessive curvature of the spine prjei tinu' 
backward, produced by caries of the liodies of the ver- 
tebra 1 . ,,r I'ott's disease. Also called Potft curvature. ~ 
Anticlastic curvature, in ';>//!., that kind of curvature 
which belongs to a surface cutting its tangent plane in 
fi.ur real directions, as the inside part of an anchor-ring. 
Anticlastic curvature U also called /i;/;.' 
because a surface so curved has a hyperliola for it8 indi- 
catrix.- Average curvature, the whole curvature divid- 
Curule Chair, from drawing 
found in Pompeii. 
