I bet at some time you’ve asked your parents, for permission to go out on a date, or to a party with your friends.   They’ve accepted but put a limit on the time you have to return home. If so, metaphorically you have already experienced a curfew. But the real meaning of this word is much more serious. If you don’t know it perhaps because you have been lucky enough to live in a region without major political conflicts or major natural disasters.

Now imagine the situation in the Middle Ages, when this word was not only well known to everyone but also used every day. How disastrous was the society at that time to need to establish permanent curfews? It’s an enigma that we’ll solve later, after taking a look at these definitions:

 

Dictionary Definition

 

Curfew: noun. A rule that some or all people must stay off the streets during particular hours, used esp. to maintain peace during a period of violence. (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).

Curfew: noun. A law stating that people must stay inside their houses after a particular time at night, for example during a war. (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary).

Curfew: noun. A signal to announce the beginning of a curfew (Merriam Webster dictionary).

Curfew: noun. The period during which a curfew is in effect (Merriam Webster dictionary).

 

The word curfew is used only occasionally and I think it is a reason to be happy; despite the problems we face on a day-to-day, we at least have the chance to arrive or leave home at the time we want.

Curfew is one of the 30,000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary.

Here are some examples that use it:

 

− “Newark police will be enforcing the city’s youth curfew law for Halloween on Wednesday, Oct. 31, authorities said”.

From Newark Patch website Article: Newark Will Enforce Youth Curfew For Halloween 2018. 2018

            − “Since Hurricane Michael on Oct. 10 wrought havoc around Bay County, 278 individuals have been arrested for either violating curfew or looting”.

From Panama City New Herald Article: 220 arrested for curfew violations, 58 for looting since Hurricane Michael. 2018

            − “Here’s hoping women are able to walk the streets totally fearlessly one day – without the need for a curfew, of course – because strolling through forests at night time sounds pretty amazing.”.

From BBC website Article: #MeToo: Here’s what women say they would do ‘if men had a 9 pm curfew’. 2018

 

Time for lights off!

 

As with many of our other words, Curfew did not always have the meaning we give it today. The definitions I gave above began to be used in the 19th century, but the word has existed since the Middle Ages. What did it mean back then?

As you can imagine, in the Middle Ages there was no electricity or heating. People lit bonfires in their homes to light spaces and generate heat in the winter. However, that led to constant fires due by the flames that continued to burn unattended throughout the night in each home.

Considering that by then most structures were made of wood and were very close together, an accident like this generated high numbers of deaths and injuries, and considerable material losses for the people.

According to several versions of the story, it was William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, who decided to put an end to this persistent risk.  He enacted a law that called on citizens to put out or cover their lights, especially the heart fires, at the ringing of an eight o’clock bell.

This signal to turn off the lights began to be called “cuevrefeu“, from the old Anglo-French which combined the words “covrir” meaning to cover, and “feu” which means fire.

The strategy proved so effective that over the years it began to be used to implement other rules in medieval villages, and by the 14th century the pronunciation had been already shortened to “curfew“.

Luckily now, even if they impose a curfew on us, at least we don’t have to stay in the dark!