cur

[kur]

noun

a mongrel dog, especially a worthless or unfriendly one.
a mean, cowardly person.

Origin of cur

1175–1225; Middle English curre, apparently shortened from curdogge. See cur dog

Related formscur·like, adjective

Synonyms for cur

2. blackguard, cad, heel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for curs

skunk, toad, coward, dog, villain, riffraff, rat, wretch, good-for-nothing, snake, bum, scum, blackguard, hound, scoundrel, heel, cad, stinker, worm

Examples from the Web for curs

Historical Examples of curs

You will have to fly like curs before the whips of your own men.
Strife (First Series Plays)
John Galsworthy
Now Heaven help a poor, deserted maid, who set her trust in curs!
The Shame of Motley
Raphael Sabatini
Ask me to beat them off with a whip like a pack of curs, and I'll do it readily.
The Trampling of the Lilies
Rafael Sabatini
"Collars, and curs to wear them," growled out Tony, under his breath.
Sir Jasper Carew
Charles James Lever
I keep my ambition in leash, and still and on they must be snapping like curs at Argile.
John Splendid
Neil Munro

British Dictionary definitions for curs

cur

noun

any vicious dog, esp a mongrel
a despicable or cowardly person

Word Origin for cur

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 curs

cur

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."