cu|ra|tor /kjʊre I tə r / (curators ) N‑COUNT A curator is someone who is in charge of the objects or works of art in a museum or art gallery.
cu|ra|to|rial /kjʊ rətɔː riəl/ ADJ [ADJ n] Curatorial means relating to curators and their work. [FORMAL ] □ …the museum's curatorial team.
curb /kɜː r b/ (curbs , curbing , curbed )
1 VERB If you curb something, you control it and keep it within limits. □ [V n] …advertisements aimed at curbing the spread of the disease. □ [be V -ed] He called for energy consumption to be curbed. ● N‑COUNT Curb is also a noun. □ [+ on ] He called for much stricter curbs on immigration.
2 VERB If you curb an emotion or your behaviour, you keep it under control. □ [V n] He curbed his temper.
3 → see kerb
curd /kɜː r d/ (curds ) N‑VAR [usu pl] The thick white substance which is formed when milk turns sour can be referred to as curds .
cur|dle /kɜː r d ə l/ (curdles , curdling , curdled ) VERB If milk or eggs curdle or if you curdle them, they separate into different bits. □ [V ] The sauce should not boil or the egg yolk will curdle. □ [V n] The herb has been used for centuries to curdle milk.
cure ◆◇◇ /kjʊə r / (cures , curing , cured )
1 VERB If doctors or medical treatments cure an illness or injury, they cause it to end or disappear. □ [be V -ed] Her cancer can only be controlled, not cured.
2 VERB If doctors or medical treatments cure a person, they make the person well again after an illness or injury. □ [V n] MDT is an effective treatment and could cure all the leprosy sufferers worldwide. □ [be V -ed] Almost overnight I was cured. □ [V n + of ] Now doctors believe they have cured him of the disease.
3 N‑COUNT A cure for an illness is a medicine or other treatment that cures the illness. □ [+ for ] Atkinson has been told rest is the only cure for his ankle injury.
4 VERB If someone or something cures a problem, they bring it to an end. □ [V n] Private firms are willing to make large-scale investments to help cure Russia's economic troubles.
5 N‑COUNT A cure for a problem is something that will bring it to an end. □ [+ for ] The magic cure for inflation does not exist.
6 VERB If an action or event cures someone of a habit or an attitude, it makes them stop having it. □ [V n + of ] The experience was a detestable ordeal, and it cured him of any ambitions to direct again. □ [V n] He went to a clinic to cure his drinking and overeating.
7 VERB [usu passive] When food, tobacco, or animal skin is cured , it is dried, smoked, or salted so that it will last for a long time. □ [be V -ed] Legs of pork were cured and smoked over the fire. □ [V -ed] …sliced cured ham. COLLOCATIONS cure VERB
1
cure + noun : ailment, cancer, disease; hangover
2
cure + noun : patient
cure + adverb : completely, fully, miraculously NOUN
3
adjective + cure : effective, miraculous
verb + cure : develop, discover, find; research, seek
5
adjective + cure : magic, quick
cu re-all (cure-alls ) N‑COUNT A cure-all is something that is believed, usually wrongly, to be able to solve all the problems someone or something has, or to cure a wide range of illnesses. □ [+ for ] The introduction of market discipline to the economy was not a magic cure-all.
cur|few /kɜː r fjuː/ (curfews ) N‑VAR A curfew is a law stating that people must stay inside their houses after a particular time at night, for example during a war. □ The village was placed under curfew. □ Crowds of people defied the curfew to celebrate on the streets.
cu|rio /kjʊə rioʊ/ (curios ) N‑COUNT A curio is an object such as a small ornament which is unusual and fairly rare. □ …Oriental curios. □ …antique and curio shops.
cu|ri|os|ity /kjʊə riɒ s I ti/ (curiosities )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Curiosity is a desire to know about something. □ Ryle accepted more out of curiosity than anything else. □ To satisfy our own curiosity we traveled to Baltimore.
2 N‑COUNT A curiosity is something that is unusual, interesting, and fairly rare. □ There is much to see in the way of castles, curiosities, and museums.
cu|ri|ous ◆◇◇ /kjʊə riəs/
1 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If you are curious about something, you are interested in it and want to know more about it. □ [+ about ] Steve was intensely curious about the world I came from. □ …a group of curious villagers. ● cu|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ The woman in the shop had looked at them curiously.
2 ADJ If you describe something as curious , you mean that it is unusual or difficult to understand. □ The pageant promises to be a curious mixture of the ancient and modern. □ The naval high command's response to these developments is rather curious. ● cu|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV adj] □ Harry was curiously silent through all this.