English
kuromaku
Kuromaku comes from Japanese 黒幕 ‘black curtain’.
- Japanesemodern黒幕‘black curtain’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012kuromaku
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Japanesemodern黒幕‘black curtain’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012kuromaku
Earliest quotation: 2012, David E. Kaplan, Alec Dubro: “The “black mists” of Japan did not die with…”
The story
From Japanese 黒幕, literally "black curtain", alluding to the unseen operators in puppet theater; compare pull strings.
Every English word from Japanese 黒幕
Today it means
noun In Japan, an éminence grise or secret decision-maker.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Japanese 黒幕 / kuromaku