curtail

¹ 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 ² 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 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

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 )

Origin of curtail¹

Probably alteration, by folk etymology, of curtal

Example Sentences

Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said the big focus for oil traders right now is whether the escalating protests against the regime in Iran could curtail production.

From MarketWatch

The German's celebrations were initially curtailed by the offside flag, but after a lengthy review he celebrated his second goal since his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen.

From Barron's

England's promising start to the fifth Ashes Test against Australia was curtailed by bad light and rain on the opening day in Sydney.

From BBC

There were few clear chances in a tense first half, with Barca's attacks curtailed before becoming dangerous, and the best openings falling to Espanyol.

From Barron's

In recent months, U.S. enforcement actions against Venezuelan oil tankers, including seizures and a de facto blockade, have sharply curtailed exports, at times cutting them roughly in half.

From Barron's

Related Words

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