CURFEW

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French coverfeu, signal given to bank the hearth fire, ~, from coverir to cover + fu, feu fire, from Latin focus hearth Date: 14th century the sounding of a bell at evening , 2. a regulation enjoining the withdrawal of usually specified persons (as juveniles or military personnel) from the streets or the closing of business establishments or places of assembly at a stated hour, a signal to announce the beginning of a ~, the hour at which a ~ becomes effective, the period during which a ~ is in effect