curate
KYOO-rayt
ˈkjʊreɪt
To select, organize, and look after the items in a collection or exhibition.
Originally limited to museums, it is now used for anything involving careful selection (e.g., a curated playlist).
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'curare', meaning 'to take care of'. In the Middle Ages, a 'curate' was a priest who had the 'care of souls'.
Word relationships
- organize: Organize is a general term; curate implies expert selection and care.
- manage: Manage focuses on administration; curate focuses on the content and its meaning.
- clutter: To fill a space with unorganized, unselected items.
Commonly confused with
- collect: Collecting is gathering; curating is choosing and explaining.
Word family
- curation (noun): The act of selecting and organizing a collection.
- curator (noun): A person who curates a museum or gallery.
Collocations
- curate an exhibit
- curate a collection
- carefully curated
Example sentences
- "She was invited to curate a new exhibition on 19th-century photography." Museum work
- "Social media users often curate their profiles to show only the best parts of their lives." Modern lifestyle
Memory hook
A curator 'cares' for the collection. Careful selection.
When not to use
Do not use 'curate' for simple collecting; it requires the act of intentional selection and presentation.
Fun facts
- The term 'curate's egg' refers to something that is partly good and partly bad.
Explore more words
curator, collection, anthology, exhibition, exhibit, archive
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