Part 717

Cur"er (-?r), n. 1. One who cures; a healer; a physician.

2. One who prepares beef, fish, etc., for preservation by drying, salting, smoking, etc.

||Cu*rette" (k&usdot;*r&ebreve;t"), n.[F., fr. curer to cleanse.] (Med.) A scoop or ring with either a blunt or a cutting edge, for removing substances from the walls of a cavity, as from the eye, ear, or womb.

Cur"few (kűr"fū), n. [OE. courfew, curfu, fr. OF. cuevrefu, covrefeu, F. couvre-feu; covrir to cover + feu fire, fr. L. focus fireplace, hearth. See Cover, and Focus.] 1. The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, -- instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself.

He begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock. Shak.

The village curfew, as it tolled profound. Campbell.

2. A utensil for covering the fire. [Obs.]

For pans, pots, curfews, counters and the like. Bacon.

||Cu"ri*a (k?"r?-?), n.; pl. Curle (-&?;). [L.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) (a) One of the thirty parts into which the Roman people were divided by Romulus. (b) The place of assembly of one of these divisions. (c) The place where the meetings of the senate were held; the senate house.

2. (Middle Ages) The court of a sovereign or of a feudal lord; also; his residence or his household. Burrill.

3. (Law) Any court of justice.

4. The Roman See in its temporal aspects, including all the machinery of administration; -- called also curia Romana.

Cu"ri*a*lism (kū"r&ibreve;*&adot;*l&ibreve;?z'm), n. The view or doctrine of the ultramontane party in the Latin Church. Gladstone.

Cu"ri*a*list (k?"r?-?-l?st), n. One who belongs to the ultramontane party in the Latin Church. Shipley.

Cu`ri*a*lis"tic (-l?s"t?k), a. [L. curialis belonging to the imperial court, fr. curia, LL., also, counselors and retinue of a king.] 1. Pertaining to a court.

2. Relating or belonging to the ultramontane party in the Latin Church.

Cu`ri*al"i*ty (-?l"?-t?), n. [Cf. LL. curialitas courtesy, fr. curialis.] The privileges, prerogatives, or retinue of a court. [Obs.] Bacon.

Cu"ri*et (k?"r?-?t), n. A cuirass. [Obs.] Spenser.

Cur"ing (k?r"?ng), p. a. & vb. n. of Cure.

Curing house, a building in which anything is cured; especially, in the West Indies, a building in which sugar is drained and dried.

Cu"ri*o (k?"r?-?), n.; pl. Curios (-&?;z). [Abbreviation of curiosity.] Any curiosity or article of virtu.

The busy world, which does not hunt poets as collectors hunt for curios. F. Harrison.

Cu`ri*o*log"ic (-?-l?j"?k), a. [Gr. kyriologiko`s speaking literally (applied to curiologic hieroglyphics); ky`rios authoritative, proper + lo`gos word, thought. Cf. Cyriologic.] Pertaining to a rude kind of hieroglyphics, in which a thing is represented by its picture instead of by a symbol.

Cu`ri*os"i*ty (kū`r&ibreve;*&obreve;s"&ibreve;*t&ybreve;), n.; pl. Curiosities (- t&ibreve;z). [OE. curiouste, curiosite, OF. curiosetÚ, curiositÚ, F. curiositÚ, fr. L. curiositas, fr. curiosus. See Curious, and cf. Curio.] 1. The state or quality or being curious; nicety; accuracy; exactness; elaboration. [Obs.] Bacon.

When thou wast in thy gilt and thy perfume, they mocked thee for too much curiosity. Shak.

A screen accurately cut in tapiary work . . . with great curiosity. Evelin.

2. Disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge; a desire to gratify the mind with new information or objects of interest; inquisitiveness. Milton.

3. That which is curious, or fitted to excite or reward attention.