[T]hey required him as a safeguard against the demon and a curber of other people's crimes. 1902, William James, “Lectures XIV and XV: The Value of Saintliness”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 329:
Etymology tree
English curb
Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.
Proto-Italic *-āzios
Latin -āriusnom.
Latin -āriusbor.
Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz
Proto-West Germanic *-ārī
Old English -ere
Middle English -ere
English -er
English curber
From curb (noun) + -er.
Meanings
(historical, slang) A type of thief who used a ‘curb’ or hooked pole to steal things through open windows.
Night was the natural time for the curber’s activities and striking up an acquaintance with a serving maid was an invaluable way of getting a window left open or learning the exact layout of the rooms in the house. 1977, Gãmini Salgãdo, The Elizabethan Underworld, Folio Society, published 2006, page 33: