curt
[ kurt ]
/ kɜrt /
adjective, curt·er, curt·est.
rudely brief in speech or abrupt in manner.
brief; concise; terse; laconic.
short; shortened.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
pithy, offhand, terse, concise, brusque, succinct, blunt, brief, churlish, compendious, crusty, gruff, imperious, laconic, peremptory, sharp, short, snappish, snippy, summary
Nearby words
- cursively,
- cursor,
- cursorial,
- cursory,
- curst,
- curtail,
- curtail step,
- curtailment,
- curtain,
- curtain call
Origin of curt
First recorded in 1620–30, curt is from the Latin word curtus shortened, short, cut short
Synonym study
2. See blunt.
Curt
[ kurt ]
/ kɜrt /
noun
a male given name, form of Curtis.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for curt
curt
/ (kɜːt) /
adjective
rudely blunt and brief; abrupta curt reply
short or concise
Word Origin for curt
C17: from Latin curtus cut short, mutilated
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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curt
mid-14c., from Latin curtus "(cut) short, shortened, incomplete," from PIE root *(s)ker- "to cut" (see short (adj.)). Sense of "rude" is first recorded 1831. The Latin word was adopted early into most Germanic languages (cf. Icelandic korta, German kurz, etc.) and drove out the native words based on Proto-Germanic *skurt-, but English retains short.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper