curator

American  

[kyoo-rey-ter, kyoor-ey-, kyoor-uh-ter] / kyʊˈreɪ tər, ˈkyʊər eɪ-, ˈkyʊər ə tər /

noun

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

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

3. a manager; superintendent.

4. Law. a guardian of a minor or any other person who is unable to care for their own affairs, especially with regard to their property.

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curator British  

/ ˌkjʊərəˈtɔːrɪəl, kjʊəˈreɪtə /

noun

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

2. law a guardian of a minor, mentally ill person, etc

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Other Word Forms

• curatorial adjective
• curatorship noun
• subcurator noun
• subcuratorial adjective
• subcuratorship noun

Etymology

Origin of curator

First recorded in 1325–75; from Latin, equivalent to cūrā(re) “to care for, attend to” ( cure ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

Over the years, many of these chairs found their way into homes, estate sales, old furniture shops or private collections, from where the curators sourced them, Gandhi says.

From BBC

One must feel sympathy for the curators who plan biennials.

From The Wall Street Journal

There’s the lab-coated museum curator who treats statues in underground storage as dignified friends worth revisiting.

From Los Angeles Times

It is directed by the coaching curator of the memory of John Wooden.

From Los Angeles Times

This hollowness is precisely what the curators ask us to consider.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administrator
• conservator
• custodian
• director
• manager