Part 725

1. A hanging screen intended to darken or conceal, and admitting of being drawn back or up, and reclosed at pleasure; esp., drapery of cloth or lace hanging round a bed or at a window; in theaters, and like places, a movable screen for concealing the stage.

2. (Fort.) That part of the rampart and parapet which is between two bastions or two gates. See Illustrations of Ravelin and Bastion.

3. (Arch.) That part of a wall of a building which is between two pavilions, towers, etc.

4. A flag; an ensign; -- in contempt. [Obs.] Shak.

Behind the curtain, in concealment; in secret. -- Curtain lecture, a querulous lecture given by a wife to her husband within the bed curtains, or in bed. Jerrold.

A curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long- suffering. W. Irving.

-- The curtain falls, the performance closes. -- The curtain rises, the performance begins. -- To draw the curtain, to close it over an object, or to remove it; hence: (a) To hide or to disclose an object. (b) To commence or close a performance. -- To drop the curtain, to end the tale, or close the performance.

Cur"tain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curtained (-t?nd; 48); p. pr. & vb. n. Curtaining.] To inclose as with curtains; to furnish with curtains.

So when the sun in bed Curtained with cloudy red. Milton.

Cur"tal (k?r"tal), a. [OF. courtault, F. courtaud, having a docked tail (cf. It. cortaldo), fr. court short, L. curtus. See Curt, and Curtail.] Curt; brief; laconic.

Essays and curtal aphorisms. Milton.

Curtal dog. See Curtail dog.

Cur"tal, n. A horse with a docked tail; hence, anything cut short. Nares.

{ Cur"tal ax` (?ks`), Cur"tle ax`, Curte"lasse (k?rt"las) }. A corruption of Cutlass.

Cur"tal fri`ar (fr?`?r). A friar who acted as porter at the gate of a monastery. Sir W. Scott.

Cur*ta"na (k?r-t?"n?), n. The pointless sword carried before English monarchs at their coronation, and emblematically considered as the sword of mercy; -- also called the sword of Edward the Confessor.

Cur"tate (k?r"t?t), a. [L. curtatus, p. p. of curtare to shorten, fr. curtus. See Curt.] (Astron.) Shortened or reduced; -- said of the distance of a planet from the sun or earth, as measured in the plane of the ecliptic, or the distance from the sun or earth to that point where a perpendicular, let fall from the planet upon the plane of the ecliptic, meets the ecliptic.

Curtate cycloid. (Math.) See Cycloid.

Cur*ta"tion (k?r-t?"sh?n), n. (Astron.) The interval by which the curtate distance of a planet is less than the true distance.

Cur*tein" (k?r-t?n"), n. Same as Curtana.

Cur*tes" (k?r-t?s"), a. Courteous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Cur"te*sy (k?r"t?-s?), n.; pl. Curtesies (-s&?;z). [Either fr. courlesy, the lands being held as it were by favor; or fr. court (LL. curtis), the husband being regarded as holding the lands as a vassal of the court. See Court, Courtesy.] (Law) the life estate which a husband has in the lands of his deceased wife, which by the common law takes effect where he has had issue by her, born alive, and capable of inheriting the lands. Mozley & W.

Cur"ti*lage (k&?;r"t&?;-l&?;j), n. [OF. cortillage, curtillage, fr. cortil court, courtyard, LL. cortis court. See Court.] (Law) A yard, courtyard, or piece of ground, included within the fence surrounding a dwelling house. Burrill.

Curt"ly (kűrt"l&ybreve;), adv. In a curt manner.

Curt"ness, n. The quality of bing curt.

Curt"sy (kűrt"s&ybreve;), n. Same as Courtesy, an act of respect.

Cu"rule (kū"r&udd;l), a. [L. curulis, fr. currus a chariot: cf. F. curule.] 1. Of or pertaining to a chariot.

2. (Rom. Antiq.) Of or pertaining to a kind of chair appropriated to Roman magistrates and dignitaries; pertaining to, having, or conferring, the right to sit in the curule chair; hence, official.