Curfew
The word curfew corresponds to a regulation that generally requires people to stay indoors between specified hours, usually at night.
Origin
Even though this is the meaning now associated with the word, it has been used this way only from the 19th Century. The word curfew, however, has been around since the early 14th Century. Back then, it was used to refer to the sounding of the bell at evenings, alerting people to cover their hearth fires. This warning was important in those times as most European houses were very close to each other, meaning that a fire could spread easily.
This meaning is well reflected in the word, which has its roots in the Anglo French word coverfeu. This is derived from the words coverir, meaning “to cover”, and feu, for “fire”.
Usage
Even though governments across the world placed their countries under strong curfews, the spread of the coronavirus could not be kept under check.
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