Curfew
/ˈkɜːr.fjuː/noun
A regulation requiring people to remain indoors during certain hours, or a signal announcing that time.
Did you know?The word comes from Old French *cuevrefeu*, a literal ‘fire-covering’ order tied to the nightly practice of banking household fires, making language itself part of medieval control over darkness and safety.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱew-
“to cover, conceal”
Latin
Latin
cooperire
“to cover over”
Old French
Old French
cuevrefeu
“fire-covering; the signal to bank or extinguish fires at night”
Middle English
English
curfeu
“the evening signal to cover the fire and retire for the night”
Modern English
English
curfew
“a regulation or signal requiring people to be indoors at a set time”