curtain

I. noun Etymology: Middle English curtine, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cortina (translation of Greek aulaia, from aulē court), from Latin cohort-, cohors enclosure, court — more at court Date: 14th century 1. a hanging screen usually capable of being drawn back or up; especially window drapery 2. a device or agency that conceals or acts as a barrier — compare iron curtain 3. a. the part of a bastioned front that connects two neighboring bastions b. (1) a similar stretch of plain wall (2) a nonbearing exterior wall 4. a. the movable screen separating the stage from the auditorium of a theater b. the ascent or opening (as at the beginning of a play) of a stage curtain; also its descent or closing (as at the end of an act) c. the final situation, line, or scene of an act or play d. the time at which a theatrical performance begins e. plural end; especially death <

it will be curtains for us if we're caught

> • curtainless adjective II. transitive verb (curtained; curtaining) Date: 14th century 1. to furnish with or as if with curtains 2. to veil or shut off with or as if with a curtain