curate

[kyoor-it, kyoo-reyt, kyoor-eyt]

noun

1. Chiefly British.,  a member of the clergy employed to assist a rector or vicar.

2. any ecclesiastic entrusted with the cure of souls, as a parish priest.

verb (used with object)

curated, curating 

1. to take charge of (a museum) or organize (an art exhibit).

   to curate a photography show.

2. to pull together, sift through, and select for presentation, as music or website content.

   “We curate our merchandise with a sharp eye for trending fashion,” the store manager explained.

curate

¹

/ ˈkjʊərɪt /

noun

1. a clergyman appointed to assist a parish priest

2. a clergyman who has the charge of a parish ( curate-in-charge )

3. an assistant barman

curate

²

/ kjʊəˈreɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to be in charge of (an art exhibition or museum)

Other Word Forms

• curatic adjective
• curatical adjective
• curateship noun
• curation noun
• subcurate noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of curate¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English curat, from Anglo-French or directly from Medieval Latin cūrātus, equivalent to Latin cūr(a) “care” + -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of curate¹

C14: from Medieval Latin cūrātus, from cūra spiritual oversight, _cure

Origin of curate²

C20: back formation from _curator

Example Sentences

“We love curating vendors whose work tells a story and makes people feel something,” Fisk says.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The spaces they inhabit are often private, carefully curated and populated by like-minded and similarly well-heeled peers.

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"Our study shows just how powerful these fragments can be. Eggshells should be a routine, standard component of paleontological research -- collected, curated and analyzed alongside bones and teeth."

Read more on Science Daily

In the show, curated by Kyle Croft, executive director of Visual AIDS, an arts organization that raises awareness and assists artists living with HIV/AIDS, we see how quickly she took to the medium.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Much of his best work can be seen on the Criterion Channel, which has just curated a wide-ranging tribute in his honor.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal