[screen] n [ME screne, fr. MF escren, fr. MD scherm; akin to OHG skirm shield; prob. akin to Skt carman skin, krnati he injures--more at shear] (14c) 1: a protective or ornamental device (as a movable partition) shielding an area from heat or drafts or from view
2: something that shelters, protects, or hides: as a: a growth or stand of trees, shrubs, or plants b: a protective formation of troops, ships, or planes c: something that covers or disguises the true nature (as of an activity or feeling) "greets strangers with a ~ of excessive friendliness --Tony Schwartz" d (1): a maneuver in various sports (as basketball or ice hockey) whereby an opponent is legally impeded or his view of the play is momentarily blocked (2): screen pass 3 a: a perforated plate or cylinder or a meshed wire or cloth fabric usu. mounted and used to separate coarser from finer parts b: a system for examining and separating into different groups c: a piece of apparatus designed to prevent agencies in one part from affecting other parts "an optical ~" "an electric ~" "a magnetic ~" d: a frame holding a usu. metallic netting used esp. in a window or door to exclude pests (as insects)
4. a: a flat surface on which a picture or series of pictures is projected or reflected b: the surface on which the image appears in an electronic display (as in a television set, radar receiver, or computer terminal)
5: a glass plate ruled with crossing opaque lines through which an image is photographed in making a halftone
6: the motion-picture medium or industry
[2]screen vt (15c) 1: to guard from injury or danger
2. a: to give shelter or protection to with or as if with a screen b: to separate with or as if with a screen; also: to shield (an opponent) from a play or from view of a play 3 a: to pass (as coal, gravel, or ashes) through a screen to separate the fine part from the coarse; also: to remove by a screen b (1): to examine usu. methodically in order to make a separation into different groups (2): to select or eliminate by a screening process
4: to provide with a screen to keep out pests (as insects)
5. a (1): to present (as a motion picture) for viewing on a screen (2): to view the presentation of (as a motion picture) b: to present in a motion picture ~ vi 1: to appear on a motion-picture screen
2: to provide a screen in a game or sport syn see hide -- screen.able adj -- screen.er n