curate
kyoo-RAYT
/kjʊəˈreɪt/
To select, organize, and look after the items in a collection or exhibition.
Implies thoughtful, expert selection and arrangement to create a meaningful narrative or experience, rather than random gathering.
The story behind the word. In the Middle Ages, a 'curate' was a spiritual assistant—a priest who had the 'cure' (care) of souls in a parish. By the late 17th century, the term was applied to the guardians of museums and libraries who had the 'care' of physical treasures. The verb form 'curate' is a back-formation from the noun 'curator' and exploded in popularity in the digital age.
Word relationships
- organize: Organize is a general term for putting things in order, while curate specifically implies expert selection, preservation, and presentation.
- select: Select simply means to choose, whereas curate involves choosing, arranging, and caring for the chosen items as a cohesive group.
- neglect: Neglect means to fail to care for or pay attention to a collection, leading to its deterioration.
- scramble: Scramble means to throw items together in a chaotic, unorganized fashion.
Commonly confused with
- cure: Cure means to restore to health or preserve food, while curate means to manage and organize a collection.
Word family
- curator (noun): A keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection.
- curatorial (adjective): Relating to the work of a curator.
- curation (noun): The act of selecting, organizing, and preserving a collection.
Collocations
- curate an exhibition
- curate a collection
- carefully curated
- curate content
Example sentences
- "The museum hired a guest specialist to curate the upcoming exhibition on ancient Egyptian jewelry." A news article about a museum's new exhibition.
- "She spent hours trying to curate the perfect playlist for her friend's birthday party." A description of a digital music playlist.
Memory hook
Think of a 'curator' who 'cures' a messy room by organizing it into a beautiful museum display. To select with expert care.
When not to use
Do not use for simple, thoughtless tasks (e.g., 'I curated my grocery list' is an overused, pretentious modern colloquialism).
Fun facts
- The term 'curate' has expanded so much that we now have 'curated' subscription boxes for everything from organic coffee to dog toys.
Related words
Explore more words
curator, collection, anthology, exhibition, exhibit, archive
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