curtail

1
[ ker-teyl ]
See synonyms for curtail on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

Origin of curtail

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English curtailen “to restrict” (said of royal succession or inheritance), probably a conflation of Middle French courtau(l)d (see curtal) and Middle English taillen “to cut” (see taille, tailor1)

synonym study For curtail

See shorten.

Other words for curtail

Other words from curtail

  • cur·tailed·ly, adverb
  • cur·tail·er, noun
  • cur·tail·ment, noun
  • non·cur·tail·ing, adjective
  • un·cur·tailed, adjective

Other definitions for curtail (2 of 2)

curtail2
[ kur-teyl ]

nounArchitecture.
  1. a horizontal, spiral termination to the lower end of a stair railing.

  2. Also called curtail step . a starting step having a scroll termination to one or both ends of the tread.

Origin of curtail

2
Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use curtail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for curtail

curtail

/ (kɜːˈteɪl) /


verb
  1. (tr) to cut short; abridge

Origin of curtail

1
C16: changed (through influence of tail 1) from obsolete curtal to dock; see curtal

Derived forms of curtail

  • curtailer, noun
  • curtailment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012