curator

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoo r-ey- for 1–3; kyoo r-uh-ter for 4]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR curator ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the person in charge of a museum, art collection, etc.

a person who selects content for presentation, as on a website.

a manager; superintendent.

Law. a guardian of a minor, lunatic, or other incompetent, especially with regard to his or her property.

Nearby words

Origin of curator

1325–75; < Latin, equivalent to cūrā(re) to care for, attend to (see cure) + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English curatour < Anglo-French < Latin as above

Related forms

cu·ra·to·ri·al

[kyoo r-uh-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /ˌkyʊər əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectivecu·ra·tor·ship, nounsub·cu·ra·tor, nounsub·cu·ra·to·ri·al, adjective

sub·cu·ra·tor·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for curator

The curator had wanted the artists to produce work while they were in Europe in order to prove their talent to any skeptics.
North Korea’s Propaganda Art Exhibit in London|Nico Hines|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To find out more, The Daily Beast spoke to curator Donald Albrecht.
How Jews Created American Modernism|Andrew Romano|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bringing pieces from the two collections together gives a fresh perspective to them, says Janet Bishop, an SFMOMA curator.
Hello, ‘Gorgeous’: Grit and Glamour In San Francisco|Emily Wilson|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“That was brought to us by a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York,” he explains.
Kraftwerk Speak: The German Electropop Act Discuss ‘Autobahn,’ Technology, and Hint at New Album|Douglas Wolk|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A Call To Action is, with Carter acting as curator and commentator, the public record and statement of that conference.
Jimmy Carter Was a Lot Better President Than Almost Anyone Ever Admits|David Masciotra|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A curator is a person in whose charge the valuable collections in a museum are placed.
The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 56, December 2, 1897|Various
Then he asked a few questions of the curator, pointed out one of the windows to Lenora and whispered a few directions to her.
The Black Box|E. Phillips Oppenheim
He had traversed the first section and had entered the second, when the Curator joined him; together they passed into the third.
The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow|Anna Katharine Green
The curator smiled politely; being a Latin, he certainly did not believe her.
The Vanity Girl|Compton Mackenzie
You are a curator working with the ancient coin collection of a large museum.
The Atomic Fingerprint|Bernard Keisch

British Dictionary definitions for curator

curator

noun

the administrative head of a museum, art gallery, or similar institution

law, mainly Scot a guardian of a minor, mentally ill person, etc

Derived Formscuratorial (ˌkjʊərəˈtɔːrɪəl), adjectivecuratorship, noun

Word Origin for curator

C14: from Latin: one who cares, from cūrāre to care for, from cūra care

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for curator

curator

mid-14c., from Latin curator "overseer, manager, guardian," agent noun from curatus, past participle of curare (see cure (v.)). Originally of those put in charge of minors, lunatics, etc.; meaning "officer in charge of a museum, library, etc." is from 1660s.