curtailment

American  

[ker-teyl-muhnt] / kərˈteɪl mənt /

noun

1. the act of cutting something short or cutting it back; reduction.

   Constant curtailment of postal service has inconvenienced every citizen.

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Other Word Forms

• noncurtailment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of curtailment

curtail + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

A curtailment is an ending or restriction. The curtailment of your allowance means you'll have to get a job if you want to keep buying new video games. The noun curtailment is a somewhat formal way to say "limitation." It comes from the Old French court, "short," and a root meaning "to cut." You can think of a curtailment as cutting something short, whether it's the curtailment of your bike riding once the temperature drops in the fall, or the curtailment of your driving privileges after you get into a fender-bender.

Example Sentences

Curtailment is most pronounced and frequent in energy islands: geographical islands like Hawaii and electricity islands like Texas.

From Slate • Jul. 29, 2016

Curtailment of imports of gasoline, motor cars, machinery, motion picture films was announced.

From Time Magazine Archive

Curtailment of auto production, which used 1,234,000 net tons of iron in engine blocks, etc. in 1939, will relieve part of this shortage.

From Time Magazine Archive

Curtailment of lead supplies for civilian use may mean fewer auto batteries.

From Time Magazine Archive

"To-morrow morning the Efficiency Circle will assemble here for its weekly discussion and will be addressed by Professor Von Skintime Closhaven on the Scientific Curtailment of Catnaps."

From Best Short Stories by Masson, Thomas L.