curtail

¹ American  

[kur-teyl] / ˈkɜrˌteɪl /

noun

Architecture.

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.

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curtail ² American  

[ker-teyl] / kərˈteɪl /

verb (used with object)

1. to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.

   Synonyms:

   dock, lessen

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curtail British  

/ kɜːˈteɪl /

verb

1. (tr) to cut short; abridge

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Related Words

See shorten.

Other Word Forms

• curtailedly adverb
• curtailer noun
• curtailment noun
• noncurtailing adjective
• uncurtailed adjective

Etymology

Origin of curtail¹

Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal

Origin of curtail¹

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 ( curtal ) and Middle English taillen “to cut” ( taille, tailor ¹ )

Example Sentences

Oil futures recovered part of the previous day’s losses as India was expected to curtail purchases of Russian crude under a trade deal with the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

New Delhi didn’t respond to requests for comment on whether India has agreed to curtail its purchases; the Kremlin said Tuesday it hadn’t received such a message.

From The Wall Street Journal

Chief medical officer Paul Grundy said the hospital would have to "massively curtail" both in and out-patient activity in the coming days.

From BBC

That has curtailed the ability of financial institutions to step in and temper big price moves.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the teens I spoke to say they have curtailed their use because of fears over cheating accusations, concerns about AI’s environmental impact and worries about negative psychological effects.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cut back
• decrease
• diminish
• downsize
• halt
• lessen
• reduce
• shorten
• slash
• trim