Where does “Iron Curtain” come from?
Iron Curtain (English) comes from English curtain, from Middle English curteyn, from Old French cortine, from Late Latin cortina, from Latin cortina, from Latin cortem, from Latin cors, from Latin cohors — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
Iron Curtain (English): The dividing line between Western Europe and the Soviet-controlled regions, especially during the Cold War (1947–1991)
Definitions
- The dividing line between Western Europe and the Soviet-controlled regions, especially during the Cold War (1947–1991)
Ancestry of “Iron Curtain”, step by step
Iron Curtain traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English curtain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | curtain | A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to... |
| 2 | Middle English | curteyn | — |
| 3 | Old French | cortine | curtain |
| 4 | Late Latin | cortina | cauldron; curtain; curtain |
| 5 | Latin | cortina | cauldron, kettle; the sacred tripod of Apollo,... |
| 6 | Latin | cortem | accusative singular of cōrs |
| 7 | Latin | cors | Alternative form of cohors; farmyard or... |
| 8 | Latin | cohors | a court; a farmyard or enclosure; a retinue or... |
| 9 | Latin | co- | allomorph of con- |
| 10 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 11 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 12 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 16 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 17 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 18 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 19 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 20 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 21 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 22 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via German Eiserner Vorhang
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Eiserner Vorhang | Iron Curtain (dividing line between western Europe and the Soviet-controlled regions) |
| 2 | German | eisern | iron; ironclad; staunch, unyielding |
| 3 | German | Eisen | iron |
| 4 | Middle High German | īsern | iron |
| 5 | Old High German | īsarn | iron |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | īsarn | iron |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | īsarną | iron |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | īsarnom | iron |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁ésh₂r̥ | blood |
via English iron
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | iron | A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when... |
| 2 | Ossetian | ирон | Ossetian person; an Ossetian, speaking the Iron... |
| 3 | Ossetian | ир | Ossetians, the Ossetian nation; the speakers of... |
| 4 | Proto-Iranian | wiHráh | man |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | wiHrás | man |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wiHrós | man; husband; warrior, hero |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |