means A flat surface—of glass, fabric, or mesh—used to display images, block a view, or filter what passes through.

from From Old French 'escren' or 'escran,' a shield or protective covering, likely tracing back to a Germanic root tied to words for protection (a cousin of 'shield' and German 'Schirm'). For centuries a screen was something that sheltered you—a fire screen, a folding screen, a sieve. Only in the 19th century did it learn to catch projected light, and from there it slid into cinema, television, and at last the pocket slab that no longer protects you from the world but pours the world straight into your eyes.