cur
[kur]
- a mongrel dog, especially a worthless or unfriendly one.
- a mean, cowardly person.
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Origin of cur
Synonyms
See more synonyms for cur on Thesaurus.com2. blackguard, cad, heel.
cur.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cur
Historical Examples
It is a fool's plan to teach a man to be a cur in peace, and think that he will be a lion in war.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
"You were always a cur and a traitor, Mark Shaw," cried Aylward.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
Had he not once picked up a cur on such a stormy night as this?
His MasterpieceEmile Zola
In the village two people only, the cur and the garde champtre?
The Fte At CoquevilleEmile Zola
"That" was a kick that doubled the cur up against the settee.
Cap'n EriJoseph Crosby Lincoln
cur
- any vicious dog, esp a mongrel
- a despicable or cowardly person
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Word Origin
C13: shortened from kurdogge; probably related to Old Norse kurra to growl
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
Word Origin and History for cur
n.
early 13c., curre, earlier kurdogge used of both vicious dogs and cowardly dogs, probably from Old Norse kurra or Middle Low German korren both echoic, both meaning "to growl." Cf. Swedish dialectal kurre, Middle Dutch corre "house dog."
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper