curfew (English)

Where does "curfew" come from?

The English noun 'curfew' descends from Middle English 'curfu'[1][2], which was borrowed from Old French 'cuevre-fu'[1][2]. This Old French compound combines the imperative of 'covrir', meaning 'to cover' and derived from Latin 'cooperīre', with 'fu', meaning 'fire' and originating from Latin 'focus'[1][3][4]. In Middle English, forms ending in 'r' were influenced by the native word 'fyr'[2].

Open questions

• The development of forms ending in r in Middle English is attributed to the influence of the native word for fire. [2]

Full etymology tree

• curfew (English), 'Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.'
  • borrowed curfu (Middle English), 'curfew (feudal regulation)'
    • influenced by fyr (Middle English), 'fire'
    • borrowed cuevre-feu (Old French)
      • compound covrir (Old French), 'to cover'
        • inherited cooperire (Latin), 'inflection of cooperiō:'
      • compound fu (Old French), 'fire'
        • inherited focus (Latin), 'fireplace, hearth'

Ancestors

• curfu (Middle English)

Cognates and doublets

• couvre-feu (French)

Descendants and derived words

• anticurfew (English)
• curfewed (English)
• curfewless (English)
• noncurfew (English)
• postcurfew (English)
• precurfew (English)

Related words

• police (English)

Sources

1. curfew (English) - Wiktionary
2. curfu (Middle English) - Wiktionary
3. covrir (Old French) - Wiktionary
4. fu (Old French) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris