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c.1320, from Anglo-French. coeverfu (1285), from Old French covrefeu, literally. "cover fire," from couvre, imperative form of couvrir "to cover" + feu "fire." The medieval practice of ringing a bell at fixed time in the evening as an order to bank the hearths and prepare for sleep. The original purpose was to prevent conflagrations from untended fires. The modern extended sense of "periodic restriction of movement" had evolved by 1800s.

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15y ago

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