A curtain, screen, or wall of water, smoke, or other material used as a barrier or concealment; also a type of ford or shallow crossing.
From Spanish/Italian 'cortina' meaning 'curtain,' ultimately derived from Late Latin 'cortina' meaning 'vessel' or 'enclosure,' possibly related to 'cortis' (courtyard). The word entered English through its use in military and geographical contexts.
In World War II, 'cortina' described smoke screens laid down to hide military movements—and today the word still echoes in phrases like Churchill's 'Iron Curtain,' which borrowed from this same image of an impenetrable barrier!
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