Zion Curtain, n.

zion-curtain
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zion-curtain_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
First published 2021

# Zion Curtainnoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun Zion Curtain mean?

There are two meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun Zion Curtain. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How is the noun Zion Curtain pronounced?

#### British English

/ˌzʌɪən ˈkəːtn/
zigh-uhn KUR-tuhn
/ˌzʌɪɒn ˈkəːtn/
zigh-on KUR-tuhn

#### U.S. English

/ˌzaɪən ˈkərtn/
zigh-uhn KURR-tuhn

### Where does the noun Zion Curtain come from?

Earliest known use

1950s

The earliest known use of the noun Zion Curtain is in the 1950s.

OED's earliest evidence for Zion Curtain is from 1951, in Free Britain.

Zion Curtain is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: Zion n., curtain n.

### Nearby entries

1. zingy, adj. 1938–
2. Zinjanthropus, n. 1959–
3. zinke, n. 1773–
4. zinnia, n. 1761–
5. zinnober green, n. 1879–
6. zinnwaldite, n. 1850–
7. zino, n. 1982–
8. Zinovievite, adj. & n. 1936–
9. Zinoviev letter, n. 1924–
10. Zion, n. Old English–
11. Zion Curtain, n.1951–
12. Zioner, n. 1681–1760
13. Zionism, n. 1896–
14. Zionist, n. & adj. a1649–
15. Zionistic, adj. 1887–
16. Zionite, n. 1596–
17. Zionless, adj. 1908
18. Zionward, adv. 1647–
19. Zionwards, adv. 1674–
20. zip, n.² & adj. 1900–
21. zip, n.³ 1962–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by compounding.
Etymons: Zion n., curtain n.
< Zion n. + curtain n., punningly after iron curtain n. 2b.

## Meaning & use

1. 1.
   1951–
   The boundary or notional barrier between Israel, in relation to its status as a Jewish state, and the rest of the world. rare.
   1. 1951

      > Behind the Zion curtain.

      Free Britain 27 May (heading)
   2. 1951

      > To what extent the nation has suffered and continues to suffer and to what purpose can be seen only from behind the Zion Curtain.

      Free Britain 3 June
   3. 2007

      > Behind the Zion Curtain.

      Jerusalem Post (Nexis) 13 December 15 (heading)
   1. iron curtain 1877–
      figurative. An impenetrable barrier, esp. one which prevents access or communication. In general use.
   2. bamboo curtain 1949–
      A political and economic ‘curtain’ or barrier between territories under the control of the Communist régime in China and non-Communist countries…
   3. Zion Curtain 1951–
      The boundary or notional barrier between Israel, in relation to its status as a Jewish state, and the rest of the world. rare.
   4. Zion Curtain 1969–
      A cultural boundary or barrier regarded as separating the state of Utah, viewed in relation to the high proportion of its population who belong to…
   View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1969–
   A cultural boundary or barrier regarded as separating the state of Utah, viewed in relation to the high proportion of its population who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the conservatism associated with that church, from the rest of the United States.
   1. 1969

      > He can be financially attacked through banning of his books within the Zion Curtain. He can be cast out of his church.

      Carpenter: Refl. of Mormon Life vol. 1 No. 4. 32
   2. 1987

      > He won't talk about his childhood. We live behind the Zion Curtain here.

      J. Conaway, Kingdom in Country (1993) iii. i. 152
   3. 2012

      > Listening to church music at work. Because that's what we do here behind the Zion Curtain.

      @ihenpecked 12 June in twitter.com (accessed 20 Apr. 2018)
   Christianity
   1. iron curtain 1877–
      figurative. An impenetrable barrier, esp. one which prevents access or communication. In general use.
   2. bamboo curtain 1949–
      A political and economic ‘curtain’ or barrier between territories under the control of the Communist régime in China and non-Communist countries…
   3. Zion Curtain 1951–
      The boundary or notional barrier between Israel, in relation to its status as a Jewish state, and the rest of the world. rare.
   4. Zion Curtain 1969–
      A cultural boundary or barrier regarded as separating the state of Utah, viewed in relation to the high proportion of its population who belong to…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˌzʌɪən ˈkəːtn/
zigh-uhn KUR-tuhn
/ˌzʌɪɒn ˈkəːtn/
zigh-on KUR-tuhn

### U.S. English

/ˌzaɪən ˈkərtn/
zigh-uhn KURR-tuhn

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

Also with lower-case initial in the second element.

Zion Curtain, n. was first published in March 2021.

Zion Curtain, n. was last modified in July 2023.