Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “curtain” come from?

Curtain comes from Middle English curteyn, from Old French cortine, from Latin cortina, ultimately derived from Latin cohors meaning an enclosed yard or court.

curtain (English): A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to...

Definitions

  1. A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to...

Ancestry of “curtain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcurteyn—
2Old Frenchcortinecurtain
3Late Latincortinacauldron; curtain; curtain
4Latincortinacauldron, kettle; the sacred tripod of Apollo,...
5Latincortemaccusative singular of cōrs
6LatincorsAlternative form of cohors; farmyard or...
7Latincohorsa court; a farmyard or enclosure; a retinue or...
8Latinco-allomorph of con-
9Latincōn-—
10Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
11Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
12Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
13Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
14Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
15Middle Englishkyt—
16Germankitt—
17Old High Germankuti—
18Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
19Proto-Germanickweduzresin
20Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
21Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

Words derived from “curtain”

  • curtainless
  • curtainwall
  • uncurtain
  • bedcurtain
  • curtainlike
  • precurtain
  • becurtain
  • curtainfic
  • incurtain
  • encurtain
  • 커튼
  • cuirtín
  • ikhethini
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →